


Blood Rites

by KaedeRavensdale



Series: Ascendant's Colosseum [1]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Galdiatorial battles, Gladiator Levi, Gladiatorial contest, Guard Captain Mikasa, Humans can become Titan Shifters through "ascention", M/M, Paganism, Prince Eren Yeager, Titan Shifter Levi, Titan shifter empire, colosseum, unbetad as always
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-22
Updated: 2015-07-08
Packaged: 2018-04-05 14:05:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 24,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4182690
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KaedeRavensdale/pseuds/KaedeRavensdale
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Titans are brutish creatures, ruled by savagery and possessed of no intelligence, or so humanity has always believed. Captured by an aberrant Titan while out on an expedition, Lance Corporal Levi swiftly discovers this to be anything but the truth. Dragged hundreds of miles away to a country that he doesn’t recognize he soon finds himself fighting in a colosseum as a gladiator and gaining the attentions of a certain gem-eyed Prince.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Stormy Expedition

**Author's Note:**

> As always, feedback is appreciated. This fic is set to be updated approximately every Friday; hopefully i manage to keep up with the schedule. The second chapter may be posted somewhat earlier as the first chapter is a little slow and not much happens.

 

 The Scouting Legion was set to embark on their 57th expedition beyond the walls that day and, as was customary, Major Zoe, the Lance Corporal and the Commander as well as the other squad leaders of the Legion were sitting up at the war table well into the wee hours of the morning, planning and re-planning, accounting for even the tiniest detail and the most unlikely thing to possibly go wrong so that, in the event that it did, the best reaction could be undertaken quickly to prevent more lives from being lost than had to be. It was not unusual for the atmosphere at such meetings to be tense-expeditions were beyond dangerous, after all, and as commanding officers the lives of every soldier beneath them were in their hands and if the wrong choices were made deaths would occur-but tonight what hung between Levi and Erwin stretched into the boundaries of what could easily be characterized as animosity. 

The Major had known both of them for years at this point, and not since the raven-haired man had first been dragged off of the streets into the Legion on threat of arrest had he been furious at the much taller blonde the way he was now. Angry, sure. Annoyed, definitely, as more often than not he ended up doing at least half of the commander’s paperwork as well as his own, but as she watched the shorter man throw a glare filled with torching rancor at his Commander, sitting opposite him at the table, in the same manor one would throw a javelin on a battle field as his thin lips curled up into an almost imperceptible sneer she couldn’t help but shift nervously in her seat between them. What could possibly be wrong? Nothing to do with work, of that much she was sure, though as much as she wanted to find out exactly what had her friend so infuriated she wasn’t sure that she wanted to be anywhere near within range of the swiftly brewing fall out. 

Levi was far too professional, and the matter at hand was far too serious, for him to unleash whatever Demon was chewing on him in the midst of things but the meeting could only go on for so long and once it ended all bets were off. Casting a casual sidelong glance at Moblit, her assistant who was sitting nearby, she noted that he had picked up on the hostilities as well if his now nearly constant fidgeting was anything to go by, and came to the decision that, yes, the best course of action for her own safety would be to hightail it out of the room as quickly as possible and take shelter in her office. Preferably before volcano erupted.

  “-another effort to forge further into Titan held territory to extend mankind’s reach and hopefully manage to find some way to acquire more resources to supply to the civilians within the walls.” The Commander was saying, occasionally glancing down at the notes he’d made to ensure he didn’t miss any points that he wanted to make. “Our first priority is establishing another supply stop; the further out we go the closer we come to victory. Do we need to go over the situational modifications that have been made to our usual advancement formation?” Quiet mumbling whispered through the group like a slight breeze but no one spoke up. After a moment, Erwin nodded. “Very well, then. The meeting is adjourned; get some rest, all of you. Odds are we’ll all need it.” Grabbing her things quickly Hanji dove for the door and made a break for it down the hallway with Moblit on her heels, the other squad leaders exchanging glances before following her out at their own pace oblivious to the dark cloud that had all but manifest above the raven’s head. 

The door shut behind the last of them with a sharp and very final click, leaving the two alone together with only the wind and the rain streaked windows. Gathering up the last of his own belongings Erwin glanced up and faltered slightly, seemingly surprised to see him standing there. “You should head to bed; I’m afraid that I have a few things I still need to do myself before I join you.”

  “Join me?” the acid in his words was instantly recognizable and so potent that the taller winced as if scalded. “Oh, because whatever will I do without the ‘privilege’ of having the ‘great Commander’ Erwin Smith gracing my bed with his presence or, better yet, inviting me into his to curl up at his feet like a dog! Because that’s what I am, isn’t it? A dog from the underground; your little pet who you get to play around with as you please because your fucking charity saved me from the clink?” He was aware that his voice was getting louder with every word but by now he simply couldn’t bring himself to give a damn. Erwin looked shocked for a moment before his face hardened and his blue eyes narrowed.

  “Now isn’t the time for this.”

            “Oh? Then when the fuck is the time _Commander_!” He spat out the word as if it were poisoned, lobbing it at him like a bomb with a burning fuse as his lips pulled back into a full blown snarl. “Huh? Answer me that, since you seem to know every damn little thing!”

            “I don’t know what you want from me, Ackerman.”

            “ _The truth!”_ Thunder cracked like a whip outside, shaking the old castle that served at the Legion’s headquarters to its foundations and rattling the glass windows in their panes. “After all the times I’ve blindly put my faith in you, both inside the walls an outside of them, for all the times I’ve said ‘I love you’ and meant, all the times you parroted back empty words, I think I deserve an end to the bullshit! Five years, Smith! Five fucking years! I’ve more than earned one question free of your god damn manipulation!”

            “Then ask it, if you’re really so adamant about having it answered!” Erwin snapped back, clearly beginning to lose patience himself.

            “Did you sleep with him? Or did I walk in on you and Mike doing ‘paperwork’ with nothing on _in bed!_ ”

            “I-.” Words failed him, guilt and embarrassment flitting momentarily across his face before the Commander sighed and hung his head unable to meet the other’s eyes. “Once. Just once. Levi, …I’m sorry.”

            “Like hell you are.” The other growled. “You know how hard it is for me to trust people, you bastard, and here you are stringing me along? Bad enough you cheated on me, but then you go and try to cover it up? Lie to my face repeatedly? Though, of course, you’ve probably been doing that for years.”

            “Levi-!” He stepped forward and reached for him but the Lance Corporal furiously smacked his hand away and moved out of reach.

            “Screw you. I’m done!” Without giving him a chance to even consider calling out to him Levi turned on his heel and stormed out of the room, slamming the door in his wake and fleeing deeper into the darkened halls until he was completely sure that no one was following him. Alone, he sank down onto his knees and struggled to even out his breathing and reign in the emotions-hurt and anger, mostly-before proceeding the rest of the way to the wing of the castle where his Squad was staying. He remained that way, kneeling in a dingy corner and battling against the tears-for God’s sake that bastard was _worth_ tears, he should be stronger than this by now and yet somehow he wasn’t-and finally, after successfully regaining his icy composure, returned to his feet and continued on his way down the hall in the dark. 

Why had he ever trusted the blonde anyway? 

After living the better part of his life in the cut throat world of the underground he shouldn’t have been gullible enough to be taken in by a sweet smile and yet that was exactly what had happened. Broken down and vulnerable after the deaths of his friends, something he still fully believed was his fault, he should have thrown himself head long into training or education or _something_! Even the bottom of a wine bottle would have been better than the choice he’d made in turning to Erwin. But turn to the Commander he had, and the next thing he knew the man he’d once wanted dead had become far more than just a shoulder to cry on. He’d become his anchor amidst the storm-ever surefooted and immoveable in conviction-and in a short time he’d built a whole new world around him. But now, in one fell swoop, the sun rose in the West and rivers flowed up mountains and everything collapsed around his ears in blade-edged shards that cut deep into what little there was that remained of his soul. In the end none of it had been real; it was nothing but a manipulation to better control him, and the agony of that knowledge was palpable. 

The door of the large room that served as a meeting quarter for his squad fell shut with a soft click, his fingers still white knuckled and locked around the handle as he glared at the door bitterly enough that his four unnoticed onlookers were sure that it would soon erupt into flames.

            “Uh, Captain Levi Sir?” an almost imperceptible flinch at the sound of her voice; schooling his face carefully back into its ‘I couldn’t give less of a fuck about anything if a tried’ expression the raven slowly turned to face his squad hoping that they couldn’t see the pain in his eyes. “Are you alright?”

            “What are the four of you still doing up? We leave in five hours.” Even he could hear that his voice was much rougher than usual. “I’m fine.” A brittle, empty lie that they all saw through but mercifully the other four knew better than to call him out on it.

            Petra forced herself to adorn her usual cheerful smile but her copper eyes still shown with worry and his other three men wore obvious expressions of being unconvinced by his transparent charade. “How did the meeting go? You were gone for a while longer than usual; has something changed?”

            He shook his head. “No, nothing has changed beyond what we’ve already gone over. I just…needed to step out afterwards. To think.”

            About what? The question was clearly written across all of their faces but none of them seemed able to work up the courage to ask it. “Would you like some tea, Sir? I can go down to the kitchens and make it.”

            “Thank you, Petra, but that isn’t necessary.” Levi replied after a moment. “I’ll be going to bed; I suggest that the four of you do the same.” He retreated quickly into his office and shut the door behind him. It wasn’t that much later distant footsteps could be heard as the rest of his team followed his example.

 

            Morning came far too quickly, and as he approached the gates on horseback alongside the rest of the Legion, wading through the crowd of onlookers while deaf to the whispers of ‘useless’ and ‘a waste of money and resources’, he couldn’t bring himself to feel the usual worry, the nagging of doubt. Who wouldn’t come back this time? Who would they lose this time? All that he felt inside was a gnawing numbness shot through with sanguine threads of ache on the occasion that his cold gaze would drift almost of its own accord to the blonde at the front of the formation as he spoke. 

The gates were raised, the order to charge given, and then his horse was moving on its own as its instincts demanded that it follow the herd which surged around it. As the rising swell of hoof beats filled his ear Levi mentally kicked himself; now was not the time for heart break and petulance no matter how hurt he was or how much the other may how deserved his scorn. He was a squad leader and Humanity’s Strongest Soldier and the lives of everyone in the Legion rested on his shoulders just as much as they did upon any of the others. 

_Pull your head out of your ass and address the steaming pile of shit later!_

The pain assailed him full force as he cast off the numbness but he grappled with it for only a moment before succeeding in pushing it away. Now was not the time! The weather hadn’t improved much from the day prior, the sky above clogged with thick grey clouds that incessantly dropped down rain and rattled with thunder. The ground was wet and marshy with mud, horses slipping and sliding for purchase in a panic as the first of the Titans they would encounter sprang out of hiding. It was getting darker and darker as time dragged on; the walls were far behind them now and though it was only midday it was as dark as night, impossible to see the rest of the formation around them let alone the flares used to direct and warn of danger. An uncomfortable prickle shot down his spine; how alike the weather on that awful day had been. 

_No! Do not go there either!_ He scolded himself harshly. _You’ll never forget them or any of the others who you fight to avenge but do NOT go there!_

A flurry of hoof beats shot towards them from the right and seconds later a messenger came into view, his green Survey Corp. cloak flaring out behind him trailing a cascade of silvered rain.

            “Lance Corporal Sir!” The man practically had to scream over the din of wind and rain and thunder to be heard. “I’ve orders from the Commander Sir! Formation is the change course and head North-North East; we’re to shelter in the forest of giant trees until the storm blows over!”

            The raven nodded, clutching the reigns of his horse hard in one hand as he raised the other to wipe away the deluge as it poured into his blue grey eyes. “Understood; carry that message to the others.” As the messenger veered off and was once more swallowed up by the storm Levi raised his voice further so that the other members of his squad could hear. “Change of course; we’re making for the forest of giant trees to shelter!”

            “Yes, Sir!” Keeping in tight formation so that they could all keep a visual on their immediate comrades through the blinding downpour the squad moved as one as they veered off the original course, charting a path in the direction they knew their new destination lay. For what seemed like a life time after that all that they could hear were the hoof beats of their horses and the pounding of rain and all they could see was mist and sheeting silver droplets and their own breath rising in diaphanous puffs, then all at once the great trees-far taller than any known Titan-appeared before them and as they broke through the tree line the vicious downpour petered off into a drizzle before stopping all together. Enormous trunks sailed passed them at break neck speeds and through the gloom beneath the thick canopy they could once more see flashes of the rest of the formation. The right flank not too far off the one side; the supply caravans in the well defended heart of the formation. Cold, wet and uncomfortable though they were the members of Squad Levi-their Captain included-couldn’t help but breathe a mutual sigh of relief. For the moment at least, they were safe but Levi found himself unable to shake the nagging feeling that something unseen was watching them from the trees. Lying in wait.


	2. Shifter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to make sure this is clear, the Titan isn't Eren. He won't appear until a bit later.

 

            They had continued riding through the trees for another few hours more before regrouping and making camp at the heart of the forest. A meeting had been called after dinner-little more than a few mouthfuls of dried rations and water-had been concluded but as darkness had begun to fall the feeling of being watched had only intensified and by now it had him so distracted that he was practically twitching beneath the unseen predatory eyes and couldn’t care less that he was sitting right next to Mike.

            “Hey, Short Stack, is there a light in the attic?” A long finger was poked into his cheek, effectively snapping him out of his reverie; growling in annoyance, Levi swatted her hand away with a harsh slap.

            “Don’t fucking touch me, Shitty Glasses!” He snapped. “Filthy ass hands!”

            “Erwin has been talking at you for the past 5 minutes. He just now realized you weren’t listening when you didn’t respond to the question.”

            “What question?” finally realizing who it was that he was sitting by, the raven cast a razor-edged glare at the taller man. “If it doesn’t have to do with the expedition I don’t give a shit!”

            The blonde cleared his throat for a moment before replying. “It has to do with the expedition; moreover, how the weather is affecting it.” The Commander informed him. “If this storm doesn’t break by morning we’ll have no choice but to remain here for at least another day, but the forest carries its own dangers. As we all know, Titans are near as prevalent here as they are in the open ands advantage afforded to us by the trees aside we need to know what we might be dealing with. I need two of the best to act as scouts and get the lay of the land come dawn; I’d like Mike to go west and you to go North.”

            Again the tingling feeling of the unknown gaze on his back sent shudders singing through him, flushing his skin with goosebumps and making his hair stand on end. Yes, there was defiantly something out there. Something dangerous that needed to be dealt with. “Yes, I’ll go North in the morning then. Is that all?”

            Erwin nodded after a moment. “Yes, that’s all for tonight. You’re all dismissed.” 

Wordlessly the raven got up from his seat by the fire and walked away, heading back to the small circle of tents which had been erected by his team. Crawling into his own he lay down on top of the bedroll and struggled to turn his mind off to no avail; instead of sleeping he lay awake that night and listened to the rain pinging against the fabric overhead. 

By morning the clouds were still incredibly thick and there was little light to go by, and if anything the storm had only gotten worse. Leaving his tent and subjecting himself once more to the unrelenting downpour Levi secured his cloak tighter around his shoulders and pulled the hood up over his head before going to saddle up his horse.

            “You’re heading out then, Short Stack? A little early don’t you think, it’s barely dawn.”

            “By now, Shitty Glasses, you should be aware that I don’t sleep much.” A thin thread of exhaustion could be clearly heard in his voice as he dragged himself onto his mount's back. “If it’s so ‘early’ what are you doing awake?”

            “I’m waiting on Moblit and a few of the others so we can run a morning patrol around the outskirts of the camp.” Hanji informed him brightly, unruffled and energetic as ever despite the shit poor weather and ungodly hour. “Mike isn’t even up yet, so you can wait a little while before setting out. Erwin would rather you both leave at the same time anyway.”

            “Would he?” the raven snorted dryly. “Well, I’m not exactly in the mood to satisfy his control fetish! I’m up, I’m leaving. If Eyebrows really wanted us to leave at the same time than he’d already have his ass, and Zacharius’ for that matter, out here because Sina knows they’re sharing a tent!”

            The hyperactive scientist’s expression faltered somewhat at those words, then became abruptly serious. “Is that what happened, Levi? I’ve noticed…you and Erwin have been having a hard time recently.”

            “We’re not having any time, Hanji. It’s over.” He replied with a heavy sigh. “Maybe I’ll tell you more about it later. Maybe I won’t. Either way, there’s no time for this now; we’re in the middle of a Titan infested shithole of a forest!” 

Without giving her a chance to reply he jerked the reigns with one hand to spur his horse onwards into the rain. He was swallowed by the forest almost immediately, the gigantic trees closing ranks around him and cutting off his view of the camp that he had left behind. Everything around him was stained in varying shades of green and black, rain darkened bark and drenched leaves and lush mosses covering the stones which littered the forest floor and dripping from the branches hanging overhead. The feeling of eyes on his back had lessened since the night before but was still there, now little more than a distant prickling feeling in the furthest corners of his consciousness and now that it had for the moment left him be his mind was free to wander where it willed as he rode through the forest, hour after hour, searching for signs of Titans only to find nothing. It was inevitable beneath the sway of the weather that his thoughts eventually wandered to that awful day so many years before.

            _The rain assailed him relentlessly, blocking his vision and stinging his eyes but he forced them open and urged his horse faster._

_‘The Titan! We must have passed each other without realizing it; damn this weather, I can’t see anything!’_

 _Farlan. Isabelle. His family; all that he had left that meant anything. He’d left them alone to satisfy a vendetta and now they were in an almost unfathomable amount of danger. His limbs were numb, heart pounding as blood roared in his ears and he began to panic. Cursing himself he dug his heels even harder into his horse’s ribs; the animal screamed and balked but tripped instead, hooves catching on something lying in the mud, and went down sending both the beast and its rider sprawling to the ground. Pushing himself up onto all fours, soaked through and now splattered head to toe in mud, he raised his head and caught sight of the object his mount had tripped over._

            Memories of that nightmarish day were interrupted by a blinding flash of lightning splitting down from the heavens; the sound was so loud that his eardrums exploded, sending blood trickling out of his ears and filling them with a high pitched whine as the concussive force of the blast lifted him out of the saddle and slammed him against the rain soaked earth. Dragging his bruised and aching body back onto its feet as quickly as he could as his eyes adjusted back to the dim lighting, he peered up through the steam and shadows at the Titan leering down at him. 

It was unlike anything he’d seen before, almost human in its proportions and not misshapen or stunted in the way most of its brethren were with a disconcerting intelligence blazing in eyes that glowed red in the darkness. It stood at almost 18 meters, exceeding what they had formerly believed to be the Titan’s maximum height by almost 3, with dark skin etched with a topography of silver scars and though it, like all its kin, was naked its body was protected in places by pale blue crystalline constructs which looked chillingly similar to armor. A mix of fear and shock stunned him where he stood, mind going blank. Even a horde of normal Titans would have been better than this _thing_ ; Aberrant didn’t even begin to describe the creature that stood before him now. An intelligent Titan-if it were even of the same species as the giants mankind had long grown used to, which he seriously doubted-would surely mean disaster for them all if nothing was done. If no one was warned. 

His horse had long vanished into the trees, so the prospect of attempting to outrun it was tossed away almost immediately. But would fighting it accomplish anything. Sure, he was Humanity’s Strongest Soldier, but the Titan before him now had already exhibited abilities that had previously never been thought possible by appearing literally from nowhere like a God of destruction come down from on high. 

Somehow he knew that it had been responsible for the ever present feeling of being watched that had settled on his shoulders like a mantle on entering the forest; stalking their camp. Lying in wait. Hunting him specifically. 

It felt like a nightmare; surely this couldn’t be real! 

Levi’s mind finally caught and clicked over as the Titan reached for him, firing off his gear and swinging him up into the branches of the trees above to avoid the fingers-thick as the trunks of young trees-which closed around the air where he had just been standing. Seizing his chance the raven leapt from the bows and aimed for the back of the neck, bringing his blades down for a deep cleaving strike on the only known week point of a Titan’s body. The strike hit its mark perfectly, reflecting off the hardened platting hidden beneath its wild mane; sparks flew as the metal blades shattered like glass, the jarring force of the redirected impact zinging up his arms and knocking him off the monster’s shoulders as it rebounded. Righting himself quickly he swung wide again as the beast emitted a furious roar, turning towards him and reaching again forcing the Corporal to dive like a falcon to avoid it. 

_Shit! What the hell is that thing!_

The handles clanked as the release mechanism was pulled, the useless remnants of the broken blades falling to the forest floor as he replaced them with new ones. 

_Armor plating? It has to be harder than diamond to break the blades like that._ Impenetrable; unscathed by his attack made with no holding back. Cutting through it wasn’t an option, but perhaps there was a way to get underneath it, displace it enough to strike at the weak point and bring it down. _I have to try; it’s not going to let me leave here alive and I can’t let that thing head back to the camp!_

He dove from the side but was forced to swerve once again when the Titan lashed out, managing to clip him this time. Pain erupted through his body, black spots appearing in his vision as he reeled, winded, through the air. _Damn it!_ Gasping for breath with his eyes watering, Levi retreated into the bows of the nearest tree which were just out of the Titan’s reach. His breath was coming in short ragged gasps, heart beat accelerating and pupils blown wide; death was near, of that much he was certain, and Levi struggled to stave off his panic. He hadn’t felt true fear in a long time, the last time had been back before his days on the streets of the underground as a very small child, but he felt it now; sheer, primal terror flooded him at the prospect of his end. 

_Don’t panic. DON’T PANIC!_ _Panic makes you sloppy; leads to stupid mistakes. Keep a cool head and you can still get out of this._

But he was lying to himself and he knew it. 

Sensing its prey’s resolve faltering the Titan growled, the grating sound in the back of its throat as loud as stones rolling down the side of mountains, and crouched low before leaping into the air and extending its arm to grasp the branch. With an all mighty snap it broke off from the tree and vanished from beneath Levi’s feet; he struggled to re-engage his gear as he fell with a yelp of surprise, but the monster’s huge hand closed around him with brutal finality, thumb and forefinger tightening around his chest to force the air from his lungs and stressing his ribs until they broke in a series of loud cracks. Red clouded his vision and the metallic taste of blood coated his tongue as he clawed uselessly at his captor until his body gave out and fell limp, the Survey Corp cloak-now torn and bloody-falling to the ground below as the lay draped across its fisted hand and rapidly losing consciousness. The Titan loosened its hold slightly and stopped squeezing, air rushing back into his screaming lungs as the darkness rushed in faster. The last thing Levi saw before unconsciousness were the enormous jaws opening below him like the gates of hell.


	3. Cloak

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Where updates are usually going to come out on Thursdays or Fridays i managed to finish this chapter a bit early, probably due to the fact that it's shorter than i would have liked but Oh well, so i figured i'd post it right away. This Chapter does have a short part about Levi and his current circumstances, but other than that it is entirely about how the Legion deals with what they perceive to be his death. I had to give them a little bit of love, considering the fact this is the last time we'll be seeing the Wings of Freedom until the third installment of the series where the walls will feature. As always, please comment and enjoy.

            The sun had fully risen, moved across the sky and begun to set again, Mike had returned with his report and the weather had finally begun to turn for the better but still Levi had not returned. As darkness closed in and the rain petered out at last, the Commander came to stand with Hanji and the missing Corporal’s squad where they were holding vigil staring at the trees.

            “Still no sign of him?” he asked grimly, feeling dread at the prospect of all that could have happened to him beginning to weigh him down.

            “None.” Hanji answered, eyes wide and worried looking behind her glasses. “Erwin, he’s been gone since just before dawn; over 12 hours. Do you think that Levi-?” Her words were interrupted by the loud, high pitched shriek of a horse; seconds later the black stallion Levi had been astride when he’d left that morning came tearing out of the trees without its rider.

            “Stop! Stop that thing!” A flurry of movement as all present hurried to stop the charging animal before it trampled someone, Erwin diving for the reigns and managing to pull the terrorized beast to a stop. The horse’s eyes were wide and rolling in its sockets, its body shaking and lathered in sweat, its saddle slightly askew and soaked in rain as well as something much darker than water. Swiping his fingers through the viscous substance he found that his hand came away red.

            “It’s blood.” He announced to the others.

            “Commander, Sir, should we-?” Eld began.

            “Go!” Erwin cut him off. “Go! _Find him!”_

What was left of him. 

As his squad rushed to get their horses the blonde struggled to prevent his mind from assuming the worst which was, unfortunately, the most likely scenario. How ironic it was that this happened to the man who had already been subject to such a hard unlucky life on a day so like the one years before where he had lost everything and earned the title of Humanity’s Strongest.

            “Erwin, do you think…no, of course not! Levi’s too strong to have been beaten by a Titan!” It sounded more like she was trying to reassure herself. “They’ll find him; he’s probably just injured.” They could hope, even if doing so would only make the truth that much harder to bear.

            The four rode quickly through the trees, blades at the ready as they forged onwards in the direction from which the terrified horse had come. Following the hoof prints just barely visible in the muddy ground. They rode for hours on into the night and finally reached what they were looking for. It was immediately clear that a brutal fight had taken place there, the grass trampled by giant feet and a number of the trees scarred and singed by what looked like a lightning strike.

            “What the hell happened here?” Eld demanded, casting around at the clearing with narrowed eyes.

            “A fight; a savage one.” Dismounting, Gunther picked up one of the metal shards lying scattered about the clearing. “His blades shattered apart like they were made of glass.”

            “Petra,” Oluo called after her as she all but launched herself out of the saddle and took off running into the shadows. “Petra, wait!” 

All three ran after her, plunging into the darkness in search of their companion and locating her seconds later kneeling in the grass clutching the bloody remains of a Survey Corp. cloak. All that was left of their Captain. All of them, having seen the bloody saddle, had known that the outcome of their search would not be good but seeing solid proof of the death of their superior officer and friend still hit them all hard.

            “It was definitely a Titan that was behind this; there are footprints leading off into the trees in that direction.” Gunther announced grimly. “Odd thing is the footsteps which lead in the direction they had to have come from look…Human.”

            “Human?” Petra repeated, paling even further as her grip on the shredded fabric tightened. “Could that mean-?”

            “It doesn’t mean anything; they must belong to the Captain! A Titan can’t make itself look like a Human, just like a Human can’t turn themselves into a Titan!”

            “How are we supposed to know that, Oluo? We barely know anything about normal Titans despite the 100s of years we’ve spent fighting them; for all we know there are Abbarents that fly and breathe fire!” Eld pointed out. “It’s possible.”

            “Small mercy that it’s heading away from us.” Gunther said as he pulled himself up into the saddle. “We should head back and inform the Commander of what we found. There’s nothing more for us to do here.”

            The ride back to the camp was silent and solemn, seeming to drag on forever even though they were moving at a much faster speed now that it was no longer necessary to scour the dark earth below for signs of their compatriot’s passing. Reaching the camp again at nearly day break they found their superiors wide awake and waiting.

            “What did you find?” there was worry just barely detectable beneath the blonde’s usual total calm. Wordlessly, they handed him the cloak; for what seemed like an eternity he stared at it without comment, then sighed and bowed his head. “This expedition is a failure. We’re returning to the walls.”

 

            The first thing that he noticed on coming to his senses was that where-ever the hell it was he’d ended up it was pitch black and hot, the ground beneath him slimy and soft, and that he was lying on his back at the bottom of an otherwise empty pit. It was only a few seconds after that that he remembered what had happened to him and tried to leap to his feet, but a wave of pain shot through him from maimed skin and broken bones and he fell again with an agonized cry. Swallowed whole. By a Titan. But left for the most part unharmed, like it wanted him alive. The thing had plans for him, it seemed, but he’d have to wait to find out what they were.

 

            The word of the Lance Corporal’s loss had spread through the Legion’s ranks like wild fire as they made their way back to the walls following the same path that they had taken out and thankfully managed to avoid anymore Titans. The usual low drone of the citizenry whose opinion of the worth of their regiment dropped lower and lower still with each failed expedition did not come, even the most ardent of nay-sayers instantly noticing who it was amongst their numbers that was missing. 

Humanity’s Strongest; a title well deserved. Though admittedly short of stature the man had commanded a looming presence that was unmistakable and the loss of that was felt by all of them. There were many wounded and dead and even those who had scrapped by relatively unharmed were exhausted beyond words, but where the mass funeral for the fallen would be held the following day a separate funeral for the Lance Corporal was held that night at dusk; there was no body, so they burned the remains of his cloak instead. 

Darkness fell soon after that and though curfew was still hours away most everyone in the Legion-from the highest officer to the greenest recruit-retreated to their respective beds. Erwin sat up in his office by the light of a single candle, unable to bring himself to focus on the paperwork before him while he contemplated opening the bottle of fine liquor he’d held on to for years and now had sitting on his desk. He only turned his attention away from the bottle when the door to his office opened to allow a solemn looking Hanji inside.

            “I knocked,” she explained, “a few times, actually. You didn’t answer…so I let myself in.” The Commander didn’t reply and returned his blue eyes to the wax sealed bottle. “Levi told me a little of what happened between the two of you before…Erwin, did you really-?”

            “It was one time; I slipped up and regretted it immediately but I knew how fragile he was when it came to trust.” He admittedly slowly after a moment or two. “I was afraid that, if I told him, he’d react badly. So I didn’t tell him.”

            “And he made it out to be more than it was when he eventually did find out.” She concluded. “Erwin, I’m sorry.”

            “Don’t be. I’ve no one to blame but myself; it was my fault that he left me. I just wish we could have been on better terms before he died.”

            “It’s impossible to live a life without any regrets to speak of; Levi himself would have told you as much had he survived.”

            “I know.” Heavy. Hollow. All of the charisma and charm drained away, replaced by sadness for the first time she’d ever seen. It was clearly evident that, despite what the raven had no doubt felt about the matter in the end, that he really had loved him and though Hanji wanted desperately to say something to comfort her friend ‘time heals all wounds’ didn’t even begin to be enough, so she kept quiet. 

“I…should probably go and help Moblit out with Sawny and Bean. I’ll leave you alone.” 

The Major promptly retreated from his office, allowing her friend the space and solitude he no doubt wanted to grieve. Once she was gone Erwin sat back heavily in his chair with a weighted sigh, cracked off the top of the bottle and took a swig.


	4. Rage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, just wanted to add in a note here because, as i was planning ahead towards the end of the story i realized that i needed a good name for Levi's Titan. I was thinking something along the lines of the Traitor Titan given the Legion's take on him after his little secret is revealed, but if any of you have some good suggestions let me know.

            There was no sure fire way for him to tell exactly how long he’d been held in the fleshy prison of the abberant’s stomach but it felt like days. The bleeding from his many wounds had, for the most part, dried and scabbed over but he was still entirely unable to move without enduring mind numbing pain; he’d gone for a long time now without food and water and felt sure he’d die from the heat alone if something wasn’t done quickly. Just then the moving prison came to a shuddering stop a split second before it pitched forwards and slammed into the earth, sending him tumbling painfully across the rocky ground in a cloud of scalding steam. The raven was allowed only a few seconds respite before hands came down on him, dragging his protesting body upwards before throwing him down again.

            “Careful hunter, that merchandise is fragile.” A nasal voice hissed from above him. “We’re paying you premiums for this exotic, imported product knowing full well that the Acies Clan will pay double that for a fitting tribute to their War God. But the worth of the prisoner goes down the more injured that he is and this one looks half dead already!”

            “I did what I had to, not that you Equos would be concerned by that!” The Titan that had captured him, now in human form and if possible looking even more wild, hissed back as he crossed scarred arms over a well muscled chest. “I was told to get the strongest that I could because Humans are weak. Clearly, our definitions of ‘weak’ are not the same! It fought with the fury of Araon himself!”

            The merchant glanced down at Levi’s fairly pitiful form, curled up and quivering on the ground, and snorted. “I find that hard to believe.”

            “Believe whatever the hell you want to; give him a few days and then send him into the ring. He’ll fight.”

            “He’s not meant to fight, he’s meant to die.” The other snapped back flatly. “Put it in the cart; we need to get to the capital before they kick off the festivities if we’re going to sell him.” 

Two other men-guards, by the look of them, that were accompanying the merchant-moved out from around the cart and fitted him in shackles around the wrist and neck, shackles made of unbroken stone which were shrunk down to size through some method unknown to him and the chains attached were then used to drag him forwards into a waiting horse drawn cart. There was a soft clank of exchanged coin and a bit of grumbling from the hunter at having been underpaid for his efforts and then the cart was moving, trundling down a long rutted road paved in broken ancient stone as quickly as the horses hitched to the front of it could pull. 

What were these creatures-neither Human nor Titan but both-that had captured him and why had mankind never heard of nor encountered them before? How far from the walls was he? How long had he been gone? What did they want from him? From the sound of things there were far more of the creatures that had attacked and now held him captive and some manner of festival was soon to be held. They’d mentioned some sort of deity as well. A sacrifice? Was that what he’d been dragged so far for? He’d heard of such practices having gone on long before the construction of the walls-when Hanji read something interesting, be it related to Titans or not, she wouldn’t shut up about it until the whole world knew and this particular subject was on that he’d actually been interested enough in to actually shoot off a few questions on the matter before bodily throwing her out of his office-but thought that they had been abolished long ago. Leave it to these Titan-creatures to continue so bloody and primitive a tradition. 

He lay there on the bottom of the cart barely able to move for what felt like hours until he felt the ground below the turning wagon wheels begin to shake with a sensation that was all too familiar after all his times venturing outside of the walls; two Titans, identifiable as the regular variety by their gigantic heads and misshapen bodies, passed by without sparing him so much as a glance. Carrying a large number of enormous masonry stones between them, they turned up a hill and continued on their way as if compelled by some manner of outside power greater than their own small brains and feeble will. Wounded and weak as he was, the failure of the things to attack or even notice him roused his curiosity enough for him to struggle into a semi-upright sitting position against the wall of the wagon to peer up over the side. 

The streets began to swarm with people-he could safely assume that all of them were Shifters-as they entered what must have been their capital city. The streets were lined with the same stone which had been used to construct the large buildings-homes and stores mostly-which lined them and an enormous market place stocked with everything from fresh fruit to meat and exotic sea food catering to all sorts of people wearing everything from plate armor to fine silk. In the distance rose a gleaming castle and the dark shape of a colosseum and above it all, on the hill that towered high over the city streets, were a number of ornate temples each with a great golden statue standing proud before it. The cart pulled to a sudden stop causing him to slip back down the side until he couldn’t see anything aside from the wooden wagon; a guard yanked him out and he fell to the street, slamming his head against the stones. Pain exploded through him and everything went black.

  When Levi regained consciousness he was lying on his back on a grimy stone floor, the damp darkness a balm to his throbbing head. 

_Where am I?_

His body screamed as he forced it up onto all fours, feeling along the walls to find his way in the darkness in search of wood or perhaps iron bars that he might be able to fit through. His hand slid over slick uneven stone until, all at once, the wall vanished from beneath his finger tips and all he felt was the swirl of cold air in empty space. A passage of some sort, perhaps with an exit at the end. Worth a try at least. 

Hand over fist he crawled to the end of the tunnel, reaching out and feeling the rough texture of wood. It was a door! Survival skills gained from his days spent in the underground kicking in, he felt around the edge of the door finding the seam and desperately hoping for some sort of switch. He found nothing, but the door suddenly shuddered and shot upwards to allow him further passage. Alarm bells went off instantly; it wasn’t possible that his captors would release him so easily, especially after what he’d overheard from the merchant on the way there. Something dangerous lay at the far end of the tunnel from which he could now see the dim glow of sunlight. He shouldn’t proceed. But behind him lay cold and darkness and a slow death from infection and starvation so there really wasn’t much choice. It was better to continue onwards and face his captors. Perhaps he could best them. Perhaps his will to live alone would be enough. 

False hopes, but he clung to them none the less and continued forwards. 

He could dimly see that the ground beneath him was no longer stone but hard packed dirt, the tunnel small enough that even short as he was he was forced to crawl on his hands and knees with his back pressing uncomfortably against the ceiling. Finally, he came to another door. Light clearly streamed from the other side along with a faint, unfamiliar sound which reminded him of the swell of lake water onto the shore during a storm. He reached forwards and the moment his fingertips touched the wood it shot upwards to allow him through. The sound was deafening now and clearly discernable as the voices of a cheering crowd. 

Confused and disoriented, the raven dragged himself the last few feet out of the tunnel and into…a ring. 

His heart stopped and plunged into his stomach as the realization of what was going to happen next smashed into him like a charging Titan while he crouched there on his hands and knees-unarmed, dressed in nothing but the remains of his uniform and without the strength to stand up-in the middle of a gladiator’s colosseum. He turned back towards safety only to find that the door that he had crawled through was once more tightly shut. There would be no escaping that way. 

_Shit!_

Beginning to panic, grey blue eyes were cast onto the crowd, searching through the scours of leering faces for escape only to stop on one in particular. Sitting in a large, ornate stone chair on a secluded balcony gated in by gold was a young man dressed for the summer heat in a light cotton robe watching his reactions with a calculating interest through the uneven chestnut bangs that fell into his eyes, eyes that were a piercing Caribbean blue-green and fixated directly on him. Standing behind him, slightly concealed from view by the stone chair, was a black haired woman clad in full plate. She, too, was watching him but in a manner which was a great deal more threatening as her hand found its way down to clench the hilt of her sword. 

The sound of another gate snapping open drew his attention just as a gladiator stepped into the ring. His human form was small comfort in the face of the thick plate he wore and the enormous smashing mace held in one hand. The sound of a horn being blown shattered the air and a split second later the fully armed bear of a man at least twice his size was charging at him like an angry bull. 

He dove to the side just in time to avoid him, ankle shattering as he landed wrong and fell to the ground, recovering and rolling clear just as the one ton maul slammed down with stone breaking force into the ground were his head had been seconds before. The strength possessed by the Shifter gladiator to be able to swing such a weapon around so easily was mind boggling, not that he could afford to focus on such things while busy fleeing for his life. Humanity’s Strongest, reduced to skittering away from an attacker on all fours; had the situation not been so dire his pride would be strangling him like an angry python. 

Another loud crack as the mace slammed into the earth sending shards of rock flying everywhere, the ground connecting painfully against the palms of his hands, his body flying further forwards that he’d expected landing him face down in the dirt. The cheering of the crowd rose even louder as the armored giant’s plodding footsteps drew closer, the weapon dragging across the ground. 

_Get up! GET UP!_

It was hopeless. He ached all over. His body was so weak. So tired. It was all over. His eyes fell closed as surrender washed over him.

_Believe in us, Levi._

_Big brother!_

_Pathetic._

  _No, it ISN’T over! You’re NOT going to die; not here, not to them!_

A surge of strength filled him all at once, pouring into his body from some unknown outside source boiling his blood and tainting his vision red as all traces of pain disappeared. 

_Win! Survive! FIGHT!!!_

Just when it seemed the volume of the crowd could go no louder the cacophony of voices climbed yet higher, but it was all drowned out by the sound of his own blood pounding in his ears. His body protested at this new abuse but the pain signals were not making it to his brain even as the distinctive metallic taste of blood once more filled his mouth. Primal rage filled him as his hands found purchase on the uneven surface of a boulder that must have weighed near as much as he did. His opponent had no time to react before he swung; the heavy plate was no match for the crushing power of the stone and the metal caved in with a loud shrieking bang. The gladiator stumbled and tripped backwards and Levi pounced on him, straddling his chest and bringing the rock down again and again smashing bone and armor and spattering his face and what remained of his clothing in blood. He stopped only once the opponent beneath him had been reduced to a pile of metal scraps and meat. 

Strength evacuating him as quickly as it had come he sagged to one side and collapsed, struggling for breath as his muscles screamed and clenched in agony. What would happen now? He’d killed one, sure, but the bastards that now held him captive would surely send out another one and this time there would be no saving him. Even now the clank of plated footsteps were drawing down on him, a shadow falling over his body and a razor sharp blade sliding beneath his chin. Opening his eyes he was met with the slate gaze of the raven haired woman; a quick glance towards the balcony revealed it to be empty, the boy who had been lounging there long gone.

“You’ll behave now, yes? No more rocks and freakish bursts of strength?” The point of the sword slid down along his neck to rest threateningly against his adam’s apple for a moment before the woman drew the weapon back and sheathed it. “Can you stand, Human?” He didn’t answer her, preferring to reply with the most hateful glare he could still manage to muster. The woman was stronger than she looked, something he learned quickly when she reached down and dragged his limp form effortlessly upright. “Come along. Your performance here has earned you an audience at the palace with the Prince.”


	5. Prince

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another week of double updates; this won't always happen but i'm ahead of schedule so i figured why not.

 

            Though medical attention food and water were all things he was in desperate need of the guard saw it better to drag him directly to the castle instead. Severely injured and in pain though he was, it was still far from lost on him just how absurdly large that the palace was up close; the towers were far wider and the ceilings far taller than he felt was necessary for a race which could freely shrink down into a more manageable human form, but he soon found out the reason why once his escort had proceeded through the front entrance and maneuvered through the halls to what he could only assume was the throne room. 

Standing sentry outside of it were two guards in Titan form clad head to toe in heavy plate armor and clutching two of the biggest weapons that he had ever seen in his entire life. The mere sight of them was truly a terrifying thing, and the thought of the sheer amount of resources it must have taken to outfit them was a nightmare. All his life he’d starved, lived caged within walls where all that truly distinguished the wealthy from the poor was misplaced pride and meanwhile these monsters were sitting atop enough ore wood and meat to feed a legion and build and entire city out of gold. The thought of such excess in the face of all he’d been through made his blood burn white hot for the second time that day and he tightened his jaw, unable to do much more in his current state under the watch of the raven haired woman and the two Titan guards.

            “Phemos! Pol! Let us pass!” The two turned their gigantic heads and peered down at them through the metal cask-like helms that covered their faces before stepping aside with a low grumbling growl which rang in his chest more so than it did his ears. His captor clearly understood this sound to be a sign for them to continue onwards as she stepped forwards without a moment’s further hesitation to push open the ornately carved wooden doors which bared their entrance into the throne room. The floor beneath their feet was paved in high-polished stone the color of the sun, the walls tastefully painted in dark colors and leafed in gold. From every wall a banner hung; a snarling heraldic wolf emblazoned against a deep purple background which fluttered gently in the breeze caused by the opening of the door. Mikasa released him to curtsy neatly, sending him crashing to the floor when his legs proved unable to hold his weight.

            “Perfect timing Mikasa. I’d just broached the subject of him with my parents.” Raising his head Levi focused on the front of the room where three thrones were occupied by the boy-the Prince-he’d seen earlier and his parents the King and Queen.

            “This is the one sold to us to be slain in the name of Araon, is he not?” The King was a tall man with brown hair cut short at his jawline and keen amber eyes hidden behind a thin pair of glasses. Like his son his skin held a sun-kissed hue, but looking between both him and his mother, whose eyes were a dark brown, he couldn’t begin to hazard a guess as to where the bleeding hell the Prince’s outlandish eye color had come from.

            “He was, but he saw to it that the gladiator sent in to dispatch him played that roll instead.” The boy replied smoothly. “He fought for the right to live and won, so I see no reason to deny him the chance to do so.”

            “Darling, I understand that what you’ve seen makes you think of him as a warrior like us, but he isn’t. He can fight, sure, and he can win but beyond a gladiator what place in our society could a Human, especially one so small, ever hope to have?” his mother’s touch was gentle when she reached out in an effort to tame his wild hair and though the brat made a small sound of disapproval he didn’t move away. “Think carefully about this.”

            “I have and I am, mother.” He informed her. “I know that, given what he is-a lesser creature-the options for him in our society are next to none but I’m sure that he’d rather be given a fighting chance than be slaughtered outright. I think we have an obligation to give him that chance.”

            His mother turned her gaze to his father as if in the hopes that he would be able to talk sense into his son. “We’ll have to see what your father thinks about this.”

            “I think that he is getting close to the age of succession and needs to begin to be allowed to make decisions for himself. This matter, in the face of things, is small and insignificant and that makes it the perfect place for Eren to start doing just that. And given that it’s unlikely, both with the extent of his injuries and the strength of the opponents that he’ll be facing, that he’ll live more than a few more days the effects of allowing this Human to live can be fairly easily contained.” The King’s eyes turned to his son in a stern gaze. “You can handle this, Eren?”

            “Well I wanted a dog, but I suppose a pet Human will have to do. At least since he’s able to talk, or I assume that he is, he’ll be able to yell at me if I forget to feed him.”

            “Very well, until his death he’s in your direct care.”

            Those otherworldly berly eyes swiveled over to his curiously again as his strength gave out again leaving him face down on the tile floor. “Mikasa, please take him to be treated and fed. I’ll be in to speak with him again in a few days, once he has recovered enough to do so.”

 

            Poked and prodded, examined and bandaged and then knocked out cold with some sort of drug; he woke up a few days later with his head filled with cobwebs and his body feeling no pain. What had dragged him out of his most restful sleep in living memory was his empty stomach roaring like an angry bear at the tantalizing smell of food. The first sight he met with on opening his eyes was an enormous wooden bowl heaped high with a teetering pile of some sort of cheesy-rice dish filled with an odd green vegetable which was unfamiliar too him and…holy shit, was that meat? Not caring what it was or who it came from in that moment, forgoing all manners and snatching the bowl out of the hands of whoever it was that had been holding it without sparing them a glance Levi began shoveling food into his mouth with all the fervor of a starving beast without bothering to chew. He ignored the soft chuckle which issued from his bedside, fully intent on ignoring whoever the hell it was until they got the hint and left him be. Until, that is, the little shit got it into his head to _stroke his hair_ as if he were some sort of domesticated house pet. The action was immediate and brutal and the Prince pulled back with a hiss of pain and a smarting red slap mark burning against his hand.

            “Was hitting me really necessary?” he actually had the gall to look offended, the bastard. “I brought you food, like a good owner does his pet, and you hit me!”

            “Don’t fucking touch me, brat!” He growled, grey-blue eyes narrowing to bladed slits. “I don’t want anything to do with you, you half-Titan freak of nature!”

            “You don’t like affection?”

            “I’m not your pet; I’m not an animal! And I most certainly don’t _belong_ to you!”

            “Actually, you do.” The sudden shift of his demeanor from offended and hurt to cold and authoritative was chilling, especially when combined with the expression which had settled over his face. “I do not know what you were to your people or what manner of status you came from, this will be _my_ kingdom in another few years and you will do as I say because, here, you’re the lowest of the low! A lesser creature! And I am your master! Our relationship, be it good or bad, is entirely up to you to decide. Cooperate like a good little pet, and I’ll let you stand a chance-a small chance, but still a chance and that is extremely valuable given your current position-to live through this and go on to better things one day.”

            “And if I’m bad?”

            “You’ll serve the purpose for which you were originally brought here. Your choice.” Shit. Be reduced to the level of an animal, humiliated and forced to fight tooth and claw for their entertainment, or be offered up to one of their Gods as a sacrifice. Either way, what would come of it could never be good.

            “…I’ll behave myself,” Levi almost choked on the last word, “master.”

            The bright smile returned so fast it almost gave him whiplash. “I’m glad to hear that; you can call me Eren if you’d like. Care to tell me your name?”

            “Why?” he shot back sharply.

            “So I don’t have to continually refer to you as ‘Human’.”

            “It’s Levi.” He went back to his food, eating slower now that a considerable amount of his appetite had been killed off by their exchange.

            “I didn’t just come to give you food or lay the ground rules, I’d like to talk to you as well.” Brushing the bangs out of his eyes Eren motioned to the foot of the bed. “Mind if I sit down?” 

Knowing that the brat would do as he pleased regardless he didn’t bother to answer. 

“In a few days the gladiatorial contest around which the festival of Halgrind revolves will begin; it’s a sacred contest held once every 100 years to commemorate the War God’s victory over the serpent Leamai. You’re going to compete in it.” The blue-green eyes focused intently on his face as if to gauge his reactions. “Gladiators from all of the other clans will see representation there, and only one of them will earn the right to the title of Champion; most all of them prefer to fight in their Human forms in the ring, but honestly that still doesn’t affect your chances to win over much as they stand at almost 0. If you do, by some miracle, manage to win even your first battle there may be…rewards. If you don’t…try to make your death interesting, if that’s not too much to ask.”

            “That’s all that I am to you? Entertainment?” Levi spat, furious.

            “For now. Of course, given that you are, as I’ve said before, a lesser being you should be grateful that you’re even that as your worth as entertainment is the only thing keeping you alive at the moment. Granted that few Humans have ever seen this place, those others were never so lucky as you.”

            “You call this lucky, brat?” the raven scoffed, setting aside the now empty bowl with a clatter.

            “You don’t?” the brunet retorted. “You were meant as an offering to the War God to curry his favor for the games, but Araon liked you better as a Champion; he sent the blessing of the fabled Berserker Rage to save you in the ring.”

            “I don’t believe in a God or Gods. If there really were some greater power somewhere, it or they would never have allowed so shitty a state to befall the world.”

            “Shitty? Look around you! A bustling city, a rich and prosperous kingdom spanning hundreds of miles, a palace all but built from gold! How can you call this world shitty?”

            “ _Humanity is living like cattle in a giant box!!!”_

            “The walls are what your kind both wanted and deserved; your people lost the war they long ago waged against us, and they begged that they be given a safe haven rather than have their race eradicated! We gave it to them!” Eren snapped back, losing his temper; Levi just stared at him in shock for a few moments as he struggled to calm himself enough to speak. “But you never have to go back there; you can stay here, forever. Free. No longer caged in. Fight for me and I will fight for you, this I vow; win in the arena and show your worth and you may yet rise to something greater.”

            Recovering himself at last he managed to collect enough of his thoughts to speak. “What exactly do you mean by ‘something greater’?”

            Another soft chuckle and disarming smile as the prince leaned in, shadow falling over him and sharp scent-citrus, pepper and rain-overwhelming his senses. “I’m not going to tell you,” he all but purred, “until I’m sure that it is in my power to promise you anything. I’ve yet to speak to my parents on the matter, but I think it’s fairly certain they’ll agree…eventually. I’m coming to that age, after all, and I just may be interested in more from you than the loyalty of a pet.”

            Levi opened his mouth to demand a less cryptic explanation from the little brat who couldn’t be older than the age of the Legion’s newest recruits but the door to the room in which he’d woken swung open before he could to allow the raven haired woman-what was she anyway, his personal bodyguard?-inside. “Your Father would speak to you, Young Lord.”

            “I’ll speak with you again in a few days, provided you survive. Do not disappoint me, Levi.” With that the brunet swept out of the room, joining his guard in the hallway. “Does he really want to speak to me or were you just saying that to get me away from him?”

            “A little of both,” Mikasa admitted without a moment’s hesitation. “And I overheard everything.”

            “Of course you did.”

            “Eren, I know that you’re getting of the age to begin to consider marriage but, by the Gods, what are you thinking? You know as well as I do that neither Lady Carla nor Lord Grisha will react well to you proposing marriage to a Human! Even if he were female, that could never result in an heir! If you _must_ pursue another man than at the very least choose a Shifter; that way a child still might come of it!”

            “I’m hardly of the age to worry about who is going to replace me! I haven’t even gotten the chance to take the throne myself yet!”

            “As heir apparent you’ve a responsibility-“!

            His eyes flashed with indignant fire as he rounded on her. “ _Do not lecture me on what my ‘responsibilities’ are! You are my guard, my friend and all but a sister to me but that is not your place!”_

            Her usual stoic mask shifted to look minorly chastised for a moment; even she clearly realized that she’d overstepped. “You’re right, Young Lord. I’m sorry.”

            “I am aware-well aware-of what he is and why that will not be a desirable union for one in my position in the eyes of both the Kingdom and my parents but I’ve a remedy for that.” Eren informed her calmly as they proceeded through the hallways back towards the throne room. “A Human is not ideal but a Shifter is, and perhaps there is a way that he can become one; I’ve consulted Armin on the matter already, and if he is to see that he does. Of course, he’d have to prove himself strong enough to endure the transformation by winning at least a few battles, and then to my parents by winning the _entire_ Halgrind but I’ve comparatively high hopes for that.”

            “What would lead to that? The display at the colosseum a few days ago?”

            “In part; it revealed him to be touched by Lord Araon but I’m of a mind to think that it’s not so simple as him just having been noticed by the God of War. Armin agrees with me on that matter, and I’m inclined to trust his opinion given that he is a member of the priesthood.” 

            “You think he was chosen in the arena?”

            He shook his head. “No. I think he was chosen many years before he fell into our hands. Perhaps, even, from birth.”

            “And what makes you think that?”

            “I hunted down the member of the Sylva clan responsible for bringing him here in hopes of gaining more information; it seems that Humans are highly social animals which move in large packs headed by a number of Alphas; he was not the head Alpha, but he was high up on the chain and was known to be the strongest member of not just their pack but their entire species as a whole. A powerful warrior capable of performing feats that, especially given his size, should have been impossible. The battle that the Hunter endured to catch him was hard; he attacked with molten fury and refused to give up even when it became clear that his defeat was certain. Like Araon he embodies ferocity and skill in battle, imagine what he could do as one of us. The Acies would no longer be disputed as the most powerful clan, our rite to rule this empire would forever be assured, and those zealot Adherent outcasts could finally be rooted out!”

            “On the face your vision seems incredible, but don’t you think your expectations fall a bit short of realistic?”

            Eren shrugged, turning towards the throne room doors to push them open. “We’ll know soon enough.”


	6. Armor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Schedules...don't work for me. i'm just going to post when i finish things because otherwise i'll end up sitting on a finished fic with another 3 months before its uploaded.

 

            The most severe of his wounds had still yet to close completely and yet here he was, teetering in an almost drunken manner, in the middle of a blacksmith’s shop beneath the watchful grey gaze of the raven haired she-demon guard. Every time that he shifted his weight a flare of pain was sent sailing up his rapidly fraying nerves but if he stayed in one position for too long stiffness ensued in his limbs and he was forced to move before locked up legs took him to the floor.

            “I never thought I’d be outfitting some Human runt in my armaments.” The smith was a large burly man with dark wiry hair and a scraggly coal-colored beard to match which covered most of his face. His eyes were tiny, narrowed and unfriendly and his enormous soot-covered hands were calloused from many years of the deft use of the blacksmith’s hammer held in one fist which sent up showers of red-orange sparks each time that it connected with the glowing orange sword he’d clearly been working on for a number of days with a hollow sounding clank.

            “Orders from the King; this is the Prince’s pet and he’ll be competing in the Halgrind. It has been requested that you craft your best work for his use; from Titan crystal.”

            “A waste of precious ore, don’t you think? Expensive in time, labor and gold to be worn by fodder.” How Levi would have loved to break his jaw.

            “The royal family is willing to pay double and compensate you for that ‘wasted’ ore. More so if you can complete it within two days from now.”

            The man grunted non-commitally.   “I’ve got a number of sets I have to finish forging you’re your subordinates, Guard Captain, before I can take on another project.”

            “If that’s the case we’ll send for another smith from the Equos Clan; with their ability to manipulate earth they’d be able to complete the set in a few hours. And would be met with the same rewards.”

            A cloud of steam erupted from the red hot blade as it was dunked into a vat of water. “Now, let’s not be hasty. I never said I wouldn’t do it.”

            “We’re on a tight schedule-.”

            “If you can make it stand still I’ll take measurements.” Setting aside the hammer the man turned towards them after retrieving a rope with a number of knots evenly spaced along its length. Levi managed to remain quiet by biting his tongue so hard he tasted blood but the look on his face must have clearly portrayed the words that he had staunched in response if the fact that Mikasa felt the need to nudge him with the pommel of her sword was anything to go off of.

            “He’s still recovering, so standing straight is fairly difficult at the moment. You’ll have to make do with this.”

            “Does it need to be muzzled first?”

            “I’ve been given full authority to meet aggression with force; the Human will behave.”

            The smith didn’t appear entirely convinced but moved forwards anyway, cautiously approaching to take the necessary measurements by wrapping the rope around his waist and shoulders before running it along the length of his body from head to toe and recording the values on a stone tablet for reference later. “Tell the Prince that his pet will be wearing my finest work in the coming battles and that I want it back once it’s dead so I can recycle the materials.”

            “It will be ready by the Halgrind?”

            The grizzled blacksmith nodded and shooed them off, picking up his hammer once again and turning back to his work. “By the Halgrind, yes. As promised. Now, would you please leave me to my work?”

            “Of course; the bloodline thanks you for your loyal service.” Another sharp prod sent him off balance and towards the door. “Let’s go!”

            “The show of force really isn’t necessary!” He drawled at her once they were out the door. “I’m not keen on going back to that recovery room or that dinky little cell, that’s for sure, but I can’t exactly take off running in my state. I’m competent enough to know that I wouldn’t make it very far, even if there was somewhere to run to.”

            Mikasa loosened her grip on her weapon somewhat but otherwise ignored him. “You’re not returning to the holding cell and given your status as almost recovered it has been decided to move you to what will be your permanent quarters for however long you manage to survive. All necessary equipment and facilities will be provided, and the required ingredients to make food will be delivered daily. A guard will be down to collect you when the time comes for you to face your first opponent and, should you survive, will escort you back. Is all of this clear to you?” Levi chose not to answer and she took his silent as affirmation. Coming to a small house built just beside the colosseum she stopped. “This is it.”

            He yanked open the door and closed it quickly behind him to insure that she couldn’t follow even if she’d wanted to. 

Alone for the first time in what felt like forever, the former Lance Corporal exhaled a small sigh of exhausted relief before turning around to examine his surroundings. The house was tiny, seeming to consist of only two rooms; the first held a small kitchen in one corner complete with a small granite counter top atop which sat a basket of vegetables bread and fish; against one wall a thin cot had been erected and a third corner had been roped off by a curtain behind which he could only assume were the ‘facilities’.

 _Just perfect. Even the living conditions in the underground were better than this._

Frowning to himself, Levi proceeded across the room to open the wooden door which concealed the rest of the building. This second room was much larger and had been made into a sparing arena meant to be used for training. A number of dummies had been erected in the center of the room and empty wooden racks used to hold weapons such as swords axes and mauls lined the walls. A single large window had been hollowed out in one wall and paned in with crystal clear glass; stepping up to it Levi found himself wondering if, should he get high enough off the ground and look in the right direction, he could see the distant shape of the walls on the horizon. 

_Halgrind? I’ll win your damn contest no matter what; do whatever it takes to survive. To get back there._

No matter how trying the odds. No matter how much time it took. No matter the cost to his body and his sanity. He would do whatever it took to find his way home.


	7. Victor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully the spacing of the paragraphs is better now.

            A loud clattering sound outside of the little hut where he’d been given quarter roused Levi from a fitful sleep atop the thin mattress of the cot. Getting to his feet with a growl of annoyance he went to investigate the source of the disturbance and upon yanking open the door found himself once more face to face with the Prince Brat’s equally bratty guard.

            “Do you shitty Titan brats not know how to properly knock, because that sounded like you threw a cowbell at my door!”

            Rather than respond, the ravenette pushed her way passed him into the tiny house and set the box she’d been carrying down on the counter. “You’re expected at the ring in one hour for the first battle of the Halgrind; I suggest you use that time to acquaint yourself with your new equipment.”

            “The bearded bastard you dragged me to found time in his schedule, then?” he drawled as Mikasa used a boot knife to leverage off the lid. “It’s probably made from brittle shit.”

            “This is fine armor; more fine than what most of the guard wears. The chest plate, greaves, boots and bracers as well as the weapons are forged from cold-tempered Titan crystal and the cloak is woven from Ironweave.” He voice was monotone, face bearing the same stoic ‘fuck all’ expression which had so long been his trademark. “You are the gladiator representing the Acies clan in this sacred competition, and as such you champion the royal family. Remember that. You’re also severely outmatched; you may have an advantage in equipment-as most others will be in iron and steel-and, possibly, experience but nothing else.”

            “Do you think I don’t know that?”

            “Bear in mind that there will be more than just his royal highness Prince Eren there today. The King and Queen will be viewing the fight as well, along with the warlords of the other clans. Acies does not usually participate in the Halgrind despite it being in veneration of our patron God, and they’re counting on you to impress.”

            Trapped in a ring. Forced to fight to the death like a dog for the entertainment of monsters. _Remember why you’re doing this._

            “Should you survive, which is unlikely, the Prince will be by to speak with you later.” Mikasa informed him in clipped tones. “I’ve a great deal of work that I have to attend to so I’ll leave you to this; I would assume that you’re able to determine how to put armor on despite never having worn anything but thin cloth?”

            “Yes,” he growled, “I’m more than old enough to dress myself thank you!” She turned and left and Levi shut the door behind her with more force than was necessary and a hiss of ‘bitch’ under his breath. Turning his attention to the box of armaments, he crossed to the counter and pulled off the lid.

            The cloak was the first to come out, patterned in greys, blacks and violets it was thin and appeared to be made of a fabric similar to silk, but on closer examination he could make out that the individual threads were so tightly woven together that I was almost impossible to distinguish each from the other and, though it stretched when yanked on with all his might the fabric showed no signs of impending rips or tears. It was a great deal longer than the Survey Corps. Cloak had been, reaching nearly to his ankles, and the clasp which would hold it in place at the hollow of his throat was carved from polished bone.

            The armor itself was what he examined next, forged from a smooth, polished material that was harder than metal but closely resembled glass. Stained black in coloring, it gave off a blue sheen when the light hit it at just the right angle which reminded him of the hardened skin of the Titan that had captured him. To say that it was well made was a bit of an understatement, but despite that, looking at it, he couldn’t help but wonder if he was a gladiator or a stripper; it was clear even without having to put it on that the breast plate left everything below his ribcage exposed, presenting his abs on full display. As a Shifter, possessed of almost instantaneous healing and only one instantly fatal strike point-it was possible to kill them in other ways, as he’d learned, but it took an incredible amount of catastrophic damage-it wouldn’t be an issue but for him it presented a definite problem not that there was anything to be done about it now.

            The metal was cold as it slid over his bare skin, the stiff bracers falling into place around his wrists in a close fit as he quickly determined how to best wriggle into the plate shell. Once this was done, Levi turned his attention to the last items left in the box.

            The weapons had to be the single oddest pair of swords he’d ever seen; hand blades forged of the same material as his armor, they were light weight and razor sharp and three feet in total length. The shape of the blades didn’t allow for his usual style of holding one facing the ‘wrong way’ as according to his once trainer but the fact that it was sharp on both ends joined together in a single crescent shaped edge made it possible to scrape by with only a few minor changes.

 _At least they’re stuck in Human form, according to the rules of this stupid contest. Isn’t that what the brat said?_

It sounded right to him. 

The thick protective plate was far lighter and easier to move in that would be expected at first glance, but left his footsteps accompanied by a most unpleasant quiet clank. It ended up being that by the time he finished investigating and donning his new gear he had just enough time left to find his way to the gate before his fight began; this time the containment cell he was pushed into was tall enough to stand in, clean and well lit by torches and the door-constructed of wooden pikes-had enough spaces between them to allow him a good view of the arena before he entered it. 

_What the fuck?_

            Levi was entirely certain that they only had one colosseum and that the last time he’d been there it was entirely dry land and yet this time it was completely different; through some use of technology or magic-if such a thing really did exist-the arena floor had been transformed into something completely different. A number of small islands, some flat and sandy and others mounded high with razor sharp rocks but all no more than a few yards in size, now floated in an enormous pool of deep salty water which served as the larger part of the arena ‘floor’. The gate creaked and shuddered before slowly raising to allow him out onto a small ledge overlooking the water.

            “Alright folks, not only is this the first battle of the Empire’s most sacred festival but we’ve got a real bit of entertainment coming to us today courtesy of the royal family!” The voice of an announcer boomed too loud through the ring, making the raven cringe and almost topple into the water. “Though it isn’t customary for the Acies Clan, who host this grand event, to present a champion but this time around they’ve chosen to break that tradition! I’m sure that some of you here remember his stunning performance at the commencement ceremony; it’s Levi, world’s strongest Human!”

            No cheering or applause met this announcement, but he could feel the eyes of the brunet prince burning holes in his head as a number of whispers passed through the crowd like a plague. ‘Fight for me’ he’d said when last they’d spoken. At the memory of it Levi almost scoffed. 

_Hell no, brat. I fight for myself!_

            The other gate had opened as well now, allowing his opponent into view. A tall man with dark hair and wind tanned skin, he was clad in nothing but a loose pair of shorts and was armed with a rusted-looking harpoon tied on the end of a heavy duty chain which had been wrapped around his wrist for ease of use. Every fiber of Levi’s being cringed at how absolutely filthy the thing must be.

            “Let’s welcome the champion of the Alte Clan, the Fisher!” This time cheers did erupt through the colosseum, louder even than the announcer’s voice and leaving it more than plain who the money had been put on in this round.

            Levi had just begun to dread he’d have to swim to the nearest island when the ledge beneath his feet moved, a platform sliding it out through the water to the nearest island and depositing him on the sand before retreating as the gates closed again.

            “Let the games _begin!!!”_

A cannon blast sounded from above in the stands and his opponent took a graceful swan dive into the water, flitting out of sight almost instantly with the speed of a fish. Stranded on the tiny island and unable to see his foe, Levi tried his best to keep his eyes peeled and his ears straining for signs of impending attack over the crowd’s perpetual roar. All that he could hear was the gentle lapping of waves on the sand and all that he could see was the sapphire glint of the waves in the sun.

            A loud splash from behind him led the raven to whip around in time to avoid the spear which had been lobbed at him, the chain hissing through the air as it flew, but the sand caught at his feet and dragged him off balance; a wet hand shot out of the water and caught hold of his ankle, yanking what remained of his footing from beneath him and spilling him into the drink with a yell.

            Water immediately rushed down his throat, foul and acrid with salt and filling his lungs as his eyes stung; he tried to wretch it up only to have more flow in and take its place, his whole body on fire with the dire need for air as the shimmering light of the surface danced above him further and further away as the other gladiator dragged him down.

_“Don’t you think this is even somewhat inappropriate Erwin? I mean, on top of being your subordinate I’m also a wanted criminal.” Sitting propped against the trunk of a shady tree on a lazy summer day that must have been as hot as the fires of hell almost six months after what little remained had been taken from him, Levi found himself looking up at the silhouette of the blonde as he stood with the sun shining bright behind him._

_“What’s inappropriate, Levi?” the much taller man inquired with his usual smile, sitting beside the raven and handing him a cup of tea which was accepted with a soft word of thanks. “All that the others-both the other regiments and the rest of the Scouting Legion-see is that I’ve taken a troubled soldier under my wing.”_

_“But we both know the truth. And you’re not ashamed of it? Of me?”_

_Blue eye observed him with something between pity, understanding and sadness which on anyone else would have driven him crazy. Gentle fingertips caressed his face. “I could never be ashamed of you.”_

  Erwin; he’d never see him again. Never be able to tell him he forgave him. 

Hanji; there’d never be another time when he'd tell her off for annoying him while secretly he enjoyed her company and accepting nature, how nonjudgmental she always was of him. How forgiving, everything just rolling off her back like rain. 

His squad; Eld, savvy enough to deserve the title of his second in command, Gunther, the grounding force of their group with his all but unshakable calm, Oluo with his damn annoying imitation and unfortunate habit of biting his tongue every other time he spoke, Petra… Isabelle and Farlan who had lost their lives because of him, all of the comrades and friends he’d failed to save and pledged to avenge the promises to which he’d made would now be broken.

            He didn’t realize he’d broken free until his head broke the surface and air rushed into his lungs at last as he expelled the water with hacking coughs which left his throat red raw, arms pin wheeling as he struggled to swim towards the rocky island in the middle of the arena while half-blind from watering eyes. That hand closed around his ankle again but he shook free with a brutal kick to the fish-bastard’s face and launched himself onto the rocks, feeling the razor sharp stone slicing into his waist, hands, arms and face but not caring as he dragged himself to the peak in full survival mode. His opponent circled below, refusing to give up his advantage of the water despite his prey being out of reach.

            The spear shot up again and Levi nearly fell back into the water from the top of the rocky island in his effort to avoid it while it sailed over his head. Once. Twice. Three times. 

_THWACK!_

The razor sharp spear tip clanged against the bracer on his right wrist when he grabbed the shaft, yanking with all of his might on the chain and dragging his foe up onto the rocks. Each successive yank pulled him further from the water as he struggled to free himself by the chain wrapped tightly around his wrist by his own hands, the shards slitting flesh and sending up clouds of steam. Like a cat would use its claws, Levi dug one of his blades into the small of his opponent's back to bring him closer just as he broke free of the chain and dove back for the safety of the waves. Levi tackling him mid-leap and both plunged once more into the water and disappeared.

            Forgoing his seat Eren rushed to the edge of the balcony, leaning over the railing to get a better look at the scene below. Neither came up. His eyes searched the surface desperately for any signs of what was happening below, but found nothing. Neither came up. His heart thudding in his ears was all he heard as he counted slowly to ten in his head. Still, neither came up. “Come on Levi,” Eren muttered almost under his breath, grip tightening to white knuckled on the rail. “Come on.” A pool of dark red blood stained the water, a number of large bubbles rising up from the depths to disturb the surface. The crowd was silent now. Waiting with baited breath just as he was to see who would surface if either of them would.

            Finally a head broke the surface, chain harpoon clutched in one hand and soaked in bloody water as he flailed gracelessly towards the nearest island. Pulling himself up onto dry land, a victorious Levi collapsed in exhaustion.

            “ _Yes! YES!!!”_ Eren howled, leaping up and down in excitement as the crowd exploded in uproar. The water drained from the arena to reveal the ravaged body pinned to the bottom by both swords as guards came out to help the now only semi-conscious man out of the ring. “Let’s go, Mikasa.”

            “Eren, my Lord, I think you should allow him to rest. That battle was long and hard, and it is quite clear water is far from his element.” The ravenette reasoned. “Let him be a few hours.”

            “I intend to; we’re not going to go and see Levi yet. But he won and I think he deserves a small reward. I have an idea of what I can get for him but I need time to find a plan B if they don’t have it in the market; let’s go!” he took off down the balcony stairs without waiting to see if his guard was following him. Shaking her head with a small sigh, Mikasa hurried on her charge’s heels.

 

            Levi had lost consciousness before his head had even had a chance to hit the mattress, but was roused a number of hours later by insistent pounding on his door. Grumbling to himself at being unable to have even a single night of being let be, he trudged to the door in nothing but a pair of boxers and wrenched it open. Outside night was falling and the air had gotten a bit cooler now that the sun had set, the wind carrying a floral scent as it blew.  There, on his porch, holding a bulging paper bag in his hands was Eren.

            “May I come in?” the raven had to commend the little brat for being able to keep a straight expression and a level voice despite his face burning bright red to the tips of his ears as he struggled to keep his gaze from drifting below the other man’s face. “I brought you something.” 

Without saying a word Levi stepped aside to allow him in, hoping to get him out as quickly as possible so that he could go back to bed. Eren made a bee line for the counter and set the enormous bag down before beginning to rummage around inside.

            “Is there a reason for this ‘gift’ or did you just need an excuse to bother me?” he groused as the brunet began stacking the metal tins he pulled from the bag on the counter.

            “That fight today was amazing; I figured that you’d earned a reward. It’s not much but it’s something and this _is_ a luxury item so it’s rare they have it at the market.” Pulling what had to be the 18 th tin out he eyed it carefully before setting it down with the others. “They all taste different and I didn’t know which one you’d like, so…I bought them all.” The smell that wafted under Levi’s nose when Eren pulled off the lid had him stopping short.

            “Is that _tea_ brat?”

            “Yeah, you have this behind the walls?”

            He nodded, taking the tin-black tea, thank Sina-from the boy’s hand and moving to fill a pot with water. “We do, but it’s expensive as fuck; a couple hundred for a container half this size.” Levi told him. “You struck gold, shitty brat.”

            “So tea is something that you like?” there was genuine curiosity to his voice as he watched the raven make it.

            “You could say that,” he kept a wary eye on Eren in his peripheral vision as he moved around the counter to stand closer. “Does it matter?”

            “I’d say that it does.” Eren replied, his fingertips-warm, far warmer than the touch of any human, and calloused from training hard with weapons despite being high bred-skimming along his bare shoulders. “I’m interested in learning more of these things. That you like.”

            “What have I said about touching me, brat?” Levi moved out of his reach to pour a cup of tea. “Are you finished here, or is there more that you wanted?”

            “Well, I’d like to speak with you.” Eren replied. Emitting a long suffering sigh, Levi poured another cup of tea as well as his own before heading over to the bed and sitting down on the edge.

            “You may as well help me drink this then.” Eren seized upon the invitation with a smile, taking his cup and sitting-surprisingly-on the floor. “Well, spit it out then so I can go back to bed.”

            “All of the money in today’s fight was put on your contender. The money in the next fight is spread evenly between the two of you; you and the Equos Clan’s gladiator. This is a good sign. You’re getting noticed.” He told him, draining the contents of his cup in a few sips despite the temperature of the liquid. “You’ve already overcome the gladiator who championed the seafaring Alte clan so you won’t have to worry about water arenas anymore; the next floor you’re looking at is ‘mountainous’ so expect stones etc.”

            “So the field I’m fighting on changes depending on who I’m fighting? Good to know.” He mused, eyeing his companion with a raised eyebrow. “You thirsty or something, brat?”

            “Mmm,” Eren’s eyes scoured up and down his form, taking in every detail of his defined chest and stomach before straying below the waistline of the admittedly tight boxers he wore which left very little to the imagination. “Very.”

            “Alright shit head, time to leave.” Setting his cup aside and getting up, Levi reached down for his arm and yanked Eren upright. “Up!”

            “Wha-? Why?”

            “Out. Out!” He tossed the brunet cut out the porch and slammed the door behind him. Almost immediately, Eren burst into a fit of laughter.

            _Maybe I went a little too far with that one, but with his choice of words I REALLY couldn’t help it!_ He thought, leaving the porch and starting on his way back to the palace. _Those abs, though. Definitely one of his best features._

A few more days. A few more wins. Once it was clear that it was skill and strength rather than luck and the weakness of his opponents that won his battles, Eren would speak to his parents about the ultimate fate of the striking Human. 

_Powerful and sexy._ A low growl of desire rumbled in the back of his throat as he remembered the feeling of hard muscle under smooth supple skin. _I will have him._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to have the armor look like that because i agree with Eren's statement about Levi's abs. :3  
> Link to (bad) approximation of the weapon design here: http://riagrey.deviantart.com/art/Chapter-Six-weapon-544092559. I can't really draw and i used DA Muro so it didn't turn out the best but it's probably better to have this picture than my description because i didn't execute it well.


	8. Discussion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The parentals are convinced to see things Eren's way, Levi all but demands a white wedding and concrete things about the origins of the walls are learned.

            Three weeks. Three weeks and four fights won since he’d first laid eyes on Levi. Four fights won and three to go before he won the Halgrind. Another 7 days until the festival was over. The perfect time to ask, not too early and not too late. To broach the subject carefully. Approach it from the angle of why it would be best for their clan and for the Kingdom that the striking raven be introduced into his people, risen amongst their ranks and then taken as his betrothed. Why he would be a powerful warlord and a strong unyielding King. How he would command both fear and respect. How the children they would have would be the strongest Shifters ever known. Sitting at the table with his Mother and Father over dinner, Eren stared into the golden broth of his soup as he carefully fingered the ornate handle of his spoon, deep in thought.

            “Eren, darling, is something wrong?” his mother asked, a pale shade of worry beginning to color her voice as she gently reached over to rest a hand against her teenaged son’s forehead as if checking for any signs of a fever. “Are you feeling alright? You’ve been very quiet tonight.”

            The brunet put his spoon down with a quiet clank. “I’m fine. Just thinking.” He replied. “There’s something that I want to speak to the both of you about.”

            “This concerns the Human, doesn’t it.” Perceptive as ever, his father knew immediately what the conversation’s topic was to be. “I’ve noticed that you’ve become quite attached to your new pet; you find any and every excuse to be near him despite his obvious displeasure at being bothered.”

            “It’s clearly a defense mechanism; he must have gone through hell to become as strong as he is, and though I’ve yet to succeed in peeling off his mask I’m confident that I’ll eventually succeed in breaking him down.” Eren replied. “But I digress, that isn’t what I wanted to talk about.”

            “Than what is?”

            “I’ve done a considerable amount of research into him and what he was to his people, as I’ve told Mikasa, and discovered that he was a Warlord of high standing praised as the strongest of their species. Though admittedly short of stature his strength makes it clear he comes from a warrior bloodline and no one present at any of his matches in the arena can argue he does not possess incredible skill in battle. I’ve spoken to Armin on the matter already.”

            “You’re suggesting that he be put through Ascention; turned into one of us? Eren, that ceremony has never once been conducted in over five centuries and only those conducted into the priesthood know even the slightest thing about what goes on. There’s no guarantee that he’ll survive even with his strength, and for what reason should he be considered for Araon’s consideration?”

            “I’ve considered all of the arguments you’d make on the matter, Father, and think I’ve come up with a good one of my own. As a Human he has shown himself to be capable of moving mountains, but as a Shifter he’d be capable of moving _worlds_. I fully believe him to be the War God’s champion; his reputation alone, his name alone, would be enough to strike fear into even those Adherent bastards. Were he to stand beside me, I’d not have to worry about a single question to the Acies Clan’s right to rule while under my reign. And our children would be unstoppable.”

            “Eren-.”

            “I want him to begin studies in the language, history and lore of our people so that he knows what it means to be a Shifter _and_ to be immediately declared as my betrothed!”

            “Eren.” His father said again, louder this time. “His strength cannot be denied and many of your arguments are valid. We will consider allowing this, but only if he wins the Halgrind.”

            The teen smiled, picking up his spoon again to resume his meal. “Thank you, Father. If what I know of Levi is true, your decision will not end in disappointment.”

 

            Days locked in that tiny house. Hours upon endless hours staring at the same walls, unable to go outside as he pleased. Kept as a prisoner without having to be behind bars. It got to the point where he was almost wishing that he’d have a fight that day. That he could spend a few, blood soaked minutes fighting for his life, stretching his legs and straining his muscles. When first he’d been left here never once had the raven considered that he’d actually use the second room but now with no other outlet for his energy and frustrations and his swords in his hands Levi trained. Hour after hour until there was sweat dripping down his brow and exhaustion dampened is indignant fury at the slave he’d been made into. A particularly vicious chop sent the wooden dummy’s head flying off, sailing across the room and straight into a surprised Eren’s waiting hands.

            “Before you start, I knocked. A lot. You were too busy murdering your training equipment to hear me though, so I let myself in; I figured I’d come see you to finish off a day of riding out in the forest with Mikasa.” There was a thin shred of barely concealed amusement in his voice as his teal eyes sparkled. “Would you like me to send for new targets for you to hit? Because those look like the victims of the rampage of a homicidal lumberjack.”

            “That’d be nice, brat.” Levi replied harshly, struggling to keep his eyes anywhere but on the boy in front of him. The little shit had dressed that way on purpose, of that much he was sure, so that it was now his turn to struggle not to stare. The thin cotton robe had been replaced with a leather ensemble which appeared to be meant as a rider’s garb and was stained in a deep earthen brown, bringing out the red tones in his hair and making his bronzed skin glow. The tunic was sleeveless, cutting off at the shoulders leaving his arms bare down to the bracers on his wrists and showing a tantalizing strip of toned stomach. The pants went down to his ankles, paired with knee high boots and framing his round ass perfectly. One never would have guessed just by looking at him with the robe he’d grown used to see him with on, but he was well muscled if not quite as defined as the raven himself. And at what appeared to be 5’6” in height he wasn’t all that much taller than Levi was. He had to admit that, if it weren’t for the fact that he looked like a new recruit to the Legion at only 15 and was a fucking _Titan_ he might actually consider banging the kid. “What do you want?”

            “To talk to you.”

            “That’s what you always say.”

            He shrugged. “It’s the truth, but I suppose you’re right. None the less, this is fairly important and concerns you so I’d appreciate it if you would hear me out.”

            “Then spit it out; you don’t want to be around me for too long while I’m armed!”

            “Why is that?”

            Naïve little shit. “Because you piss me off!”

            “Well, if it’s that much of a danger to my health maybe we should talk in the other room. I know that you don’t really want to hurt me.” His retort was choked off by the purposeful shake-the little bastard-of his ass as he turned to walk out. “You should make tea again, I brought some sugar with me.”

            Though annoyed, Levi replaced his swords carefully on the weapon racks and followed the boy into the other room, knowing by now that the only way to get him out of his hair was to give him what he wanted. He found Eren pawing through the cabinet where he’d put the tins of tea, opening a few and smelling them before finding one that he liked.

            “Make this one, please.” The fact that he said ‘please’ immediately sent up red flags. Levi hesitated for a moment before reaching out to take the tin.

            “Since when have you been concerned with politeness, brat?”

            “Is it not the norm in your society to be polite to equals?” pulling a small bag of sugar cubes out of one pocket, he set it on the counter top.

            “Equals? I thought I was your ‘pet’; a ‘lesser creature’ in the eyes of you and your society.”

            “You are. But you won’t be for much longer.”

            “What, exactly, is that supposed to mean?”

            “I’ll tell you; I’ll explain everything. But you should make the tea first.” With that said Eren crossed the room to resume his place on the floor; the same place he’d been sitting the last time he’d been over. Unable to get any more out of him for the time being, Levi finished making the tea and brought it over to him.

            “Here,” he handed the little brat the cup of hot tea before sitting down himself. “Now spit out whatever the hell you came here to say. In less cryptic terms, if you don’t fucking mind!”

            “I’ve told you this before, but now I can promise it with confidence; win the Halgrind and you’ll be greatly rewarded.”

            “Rewarded.” Levi repeated. “Rewarded how, brat?”

            “No longer will you be a ‘lesser creature’. No longer will you have to fight in the arena. No longer will you be kept in such confined quarters with no freedom.” Thin lips formed themselves into a gleaming white smile. “You’ll be a Champion. A Warrior. Raised to the highest caste of our society. You’ll learn what it means to be a member of this kingdom; out histories and our ways. You’ll stand at my side and you will be King.”

            “You want to marry me?”

            “Royal couples marry because of power and convenience, not love. Courting and love comes later.” The brunet replied, flippantly taking a calm drink from his cup. “You are powerful and you are beautiful. You’re also quite crass and it amuses me. Not to mention that these past few minutes you’ve been undressing me with your eyes; don’t deny it, we both know that it’s true.”

            Marry this brat who was either less than half his age or just looked that way. A brat who was a Titan. Who considered him a pet. He wasn’t ready for another relationship, didn’t know if he ever would be again, and even if he was it would never be with this little vixen. Never! No! 

...Wait. 

This was his chance! If he ‘married’ the Prince that would give him near endless freedom. The perfect chance to find some way to run. To leave this country and head back to the walls. Maybe, if his luck was good, run into an expedition and make it back alive. “You want to marry me? That’s all well and good, brat, but if you want me to say yes there’s something you’ve got to do.”

            Eren looked intrigued now, his jewel bright eyes raptly focused on his face. “Really? And what would that be?”

            “I want a ring. A proposal. Everything. Down on one knee and all that shit, and it had better be kick ass!” It was clear from the look of confused panic that momentarily crossed his face that he wasn’t entirely sure how to meet this demand; clearly a proposal was a foreign concept to Shifters. Luckily for the brat he was only screwing with him. “Don’t you think it’s past your bed time?”

            He pouted now. “You sound like Mikasa.”

            “Little brats need their sleep.”

            “I suppose you’re right. Unfortunately, I have a meeting that I have to attend with my parents tomorrow along with my studies which I have to see to so I won’t be able to see you again for at least another day.” Finishing the rest of his tea, Eren got to his feet and moved to the sink to put the cup into it.

            “A whole entire day where you can’t come and bother me?” he repeated dryly. “Whatever will I do?” The boy didn’t respond, clearly not amused by his sarcasm. “Can I ask you to clarify something else that you mentioned the first time we spoke?”

            “Why not,” Eren replied with a shrug.

            “You told me that the Titans-the Shifters-built the walls?”

            “Yes, they did. My ancient ancestors.” Returning from behind the counter he resumed his place on the floor. “According to our histories and legends we were once scattered clans of nomadic peoples loosely unified by a shared Pantheon of Gods. They sent the Titans-our kin-to serve as our weapons and gave us the power to take on greater forms by drinking their blood. We struck against our oppressors, your people, and in a matter of days all but wiped you out. Those who survived surrendered, pleaded for mercy and begged to be allotted territory. So our ancestors built them the walls. Walls your people named for their own Goddesses.”

            “Shifters built 50 meter tall walls made out of solid stone?”

            “They’re not solid. The walls are nothing but stone prisons built up around the bodies of hundreds of 50 meter tall Titans. A breed no longer seen.”

            Titans? _Inside_ of the walls? “Why!?” It came out choked off. Horrified.

            “The walls are the result of a pact between our races, that Humanity would never again set foot beyond the walls. Never be in a position to threaten my people again. But my ancestors did not trust your ancestors to keep their word, and so they built the walls with Titans inside of them to ensure that should mankind ever try to break them down, break their word, they wouldn’t survive to resume their attack.”

            A shocking fact which was quite hard to swallow, but one that made sense from a military stand point. Assurance. Assurance to rely on that your enemies, once captured, could never escape. Effective. Cruel. Terrifying. And mankind’s fault.

            “Humanity knows about your kind? Then why were we never told?” Levi demanded, only vaguely aware that asking such things of someone who couldn’t possibly know the answers was irrational as visions of traitorism on the part of the nobility danced through his head for not stopping them. For allowing generation after generation of Scouting Legion soldiers to fight, and die, in vain.

            “Yes, they knew of us at one point. But man does not live as long as we do and the walls were first built long ago.” There was an almost wistful quality to Eren’s voice now as he spoke, watching him squirm in response to the information through half-lidded eyes. “Time passed. Your people forgot.”

            Memory? Unrecorded history? That was what this all came down to? If that were true, what else did mankind once know? What else had they forgotten that might save lives, free their race and destroy both the Titans and the Shifters that controlled them? Eren was leaving now, turning his back and heading out the front door. “Hold on, brat.” He stopped and turned back, not speaking but with a question in his eyes. “Your parents, the King and Queen. They’re actually going to allow you to marry a Human?”

            He shook his head. “No, they’d never allow me to marry a Human. But it will still be a number of years before we say our vows.”

            “And what difference does that make?” he demanded, feeling his temper begin to heat again at the look of haughty amusement now plastered on the brat’s face. As if he weren’t grasping an insanely obvious concept.

            “All the difference,” the Prince replied lightly, “because by the time that day comes you won’t _be_ Human anymore. You’ll be one of us.”


	9. Festival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren is still a child and loves festivals; Levi thinks he can act his way to freedom; time for the first kiss

 

            It was bad enough that they’d ripped him from everything he’d ever known. Forced him into slavery. Into being entertainment. Now they wanted to take his Humanity too? Force him to marry their brat of a Prince? Transform him into one of them? Brainwash him and make him their leader? No! He would _not_ allow this! Would _not_ sit here and let this happen! Let himself be turned into a monster. Be reforged as a weapon against humanity. Break the vows he’d made to his comrades-both living and fallen-in the worst way possible. 

But he couldn’t just run. 

He wasn’t in a position to flat out bail, and even if he was he knew that his duty as a soldier wouldn’t allow him to merely take off running like some coward. No, he needed to stay down to the wire. Gain their trust, earn their friendship and learn how to destroy them and then take that knowledge with him back to the walls to finally end the Titans and their Shifter masters and set mankind free. And the only way to do that was to convince the brat that he loved him. Wanted him. To accept his affections and reciprocate with his own; considering his personality and general social ineptitude this mission would be fairly difficult, to say the least, but his life depended on it and he knew he had no choice. 

Another pressing issue for his sanity were the nightmares that had begun to assail him the night he’d last spoken to the brat and had continued to do so every night since, frazzling his nerves leaving him skittish and taking a toll on him in the ring resulting in yet another injury in the ring; an arrow through his knee courtesy of the Ventus Clan’s gladiator which left him limping.

_It was dark, the sun going down, the air cold; snow was on the ground, stained in blood and strewn with mangled bodies and a trail of giant footsteps. There, in a field of fallen soldiers and dead horses, stood a Titan. 12 meters tall with black hair long and matted down its back, hands and feet tipped in claws, body humanoid but bristling with crystalline spines with horns arching from its head, eyes glowing like embers in the falling night, face slathered in gore and a Scouting Legion cloak hanging from one razor sharp fang._

_“AH!”_ Levi shot upright in bed, body shaking and soaked in cold sweat, leg twinging at the sudden movement. His chest heaved, heart pounding; he raised a hand to his chest as he struggled to calm his breathing and stop the shaking in his limbs. These nightmares, by far, were the worst he’d ever gone through. No longer was he tormented by the bloody faces of the dead as he watched them torn apart before his eyes over and over again. Now, with tooth and claw, he was the one doing the tearing. These dreams were so realistic that he could taste the blood in his mouth and feel the disgusting sensation of flesh caught between his teeth.

            Shuddering, he threw himself out of bed and padded across the room towards the curtained off bathroom area. The curtains on the windows were drawn, leaving the room dark, though he was vaguely aware that it was still somewhat light outside; a combination of his painful wound and still disjointed and overwhelming thoughts had led him to sleep-or attempt to sleep-most of the day away. Levi had hoped to sleep through the night as well, but that damned dream had put a swift end to any hope of that. Pulling aside the curtain blocking off the bathroom he filled the little metal sink with water and splashed it on his face in an effort to chase the last dregs of the nightmare from his mind, feeling the water cool his skin.

Planting both hands on the sides of the sink he rested his weight against the metal basin and closed his eyes, struggling to ground himself and even out his breathing. He could not afford to be freaking out at a time like this. Not with so much riding on such a delicate plan. One wrong step and all of it would be over. A loud knocking on his door shattered the silence of his room; opening his eyes Levi limped across the floor to answer it and again found Mikasa on his porch.

“The Prince asks that you come and see him in the Palace, at your soonest convenience.” ‘At your soonest convenience’? No ‘Human’ tacked onto the end like a racial slur? Clearly she’d been alerted to the brat’s intentions to marry him as, though she still looked at him like some sort of mystery goo smeared across the bottom of her boot, her direct speech towards him was a great deal more respectful. “He is aware that, with your injury, it will be somewhat painful for you to do so but he would appreciate your company.”

‘Somewhat painful’ was an understatement but enduring agony was something he was no stranger to and as exposure to the brat was integral to his plan seeing whatever the hell it was he wanted was as good a place to start as any. “Tell the brat I’ll be up to meet him as soon as I get dressed. Unless he wants me up there with no shirt on.”

            “I don’t think he’d be overly adverse to that.”

            “Tch! In his shitty little dreams.” Closing the door, he turned and headed into the second room to the empty weapon racks where he’d taken to hanging what few articles of clothing he was allowed to have. Changing quickly into a clean pair of pants and a white shirt, he proceeded to leave his home and half-walked half-hobbled up the hill to the palace with Mikasa shadowing him. On reaching the stone steps up to the palace doors he found Eren sitting there waiting for them.

            “Thank you, Mikasa.” He addressed his guard first. “I know you’re busy; I can handle myself tonight.” Though she didn’t look entirely convinced she nodded and bowed out. Now alone with Levi, he stood up; the raven only now realized that this was the first time he’d ever seen Eren in anything even remotely casual. He was clad in simple clothing; a shirt woven from rough cotton, stained a dark green with a number of ties at the collar and a pair of deer skin pants. Only the pride with which he carried himself belied him to be royalty and even that seemed muted now as he looked down-yes, down, though it irked him to admit that even in this country absolutely _everyone_ was taller than him-at the raven with a sort of softness in his emerald eyes which was strictly reserved for loved ones. Perhaps convincing this brat he had it hard for him wouldn’t be too difficult after all; the biggest hurdle would be putting up with how damn touchy-feely he had already shown himself to be. “I know you’re hurt, but I’m glad that you came Levi.”

            “Another one of your ‘talks’ brat?” Hopefully it was. At least than he could sit down.

            “No, not this time. The festival is almost over, the final battle is tomorrow, but I’ve been kept so busy between my studies and your political condition in this country that I haven’t had time to attend any of the festivities.” He explained. “It’s the closing night tonight and, though you aren’t yet officially my betrothed, I’d like to spend it with you.”

            “Well, festivals are a good way to get to know another person.” That’s right Levi, play along. “Sure, I’ll spend a few hours with you.”

            The look on his face was as if Christmas had come early; instantly devolving into a hyperactive 5 year old Eren grabbed one of his hands and proceeded to drag him back down the hill towards town. “Great! We need to hurry though; the sun is setting and we _definitely cannot_ miss them lighting the lanterns!”

            “Ah!” The raven hissed as a dagger of white hot pain shot through his wounded knee. “Slow down, Jeager!” But there was no stopping the kid, his pace snowballing into a full out sprint by the time they reached the bottom of the hill. Thankfully for the sake of his injury they slowed again not long after to a speed just above a walk, Eren warbling off tune to a song in a language his companion couldn’t understand all the while.

            For the first time Levi got a real _good_ look at the city, not confined to a cart or dragged along by an unfriendly guard. The first thing he noticed was the source of the near constant floral scent hanging over the city like a sweet miasma; lining every street were numerous multitudes of brightly colored flowering trees, the pale pink petals of their blossoms fluttering away in a floral rain with the wind. As the sun set the streets grew dark but the statues of what he could now confidently assume were the Shifter’s Gods were left afire with the dying light of the setting sun from their placement high to the West. The patterned paper lanterns, all adorned with precious metal and gems and stained in vibrant hues, that hung from every building were beginning to be lit, slowly blinking on to shed light in a magnificent display across the booths and stalls which crowded the streets selling food and hand crafted wears from all across the empire; everything from silk and salt to ivory statues and jewelry adorned with opals and jade.

 Eren towed him to and fro, eyes wide at the various selections of exotic goods from far flung territories of the other clans with the goofy smile never once leaving his face. Stopping at one booth he bought an odd looking fried batter cake sprinkled in finely powdered sugar and a sauce made from berries with red skin and all of their seeds on the outside and insisted Levi try it. He protested at first but eventually gave in; it was warm, crunchy and sweet and by the time it was finished both had sticky fingers and sweet white powder smeared on their faces.

They came to a place where there was music playing and a number of people had begun to dance; Eren grabbed hold of him and swung him along with his inhuman strength and though with his wounded knee he was the furthest thing possible from graceful there was a smile on the brat’s face and laughter spilling from his lips which sounded like gold and angels singing and in that moment he looked as innocent as he should have been if he weren’t a Prince with the weight of a Kingdom set to be dropped on his shoulders. If he were Human. 

Looking at him like this, childish and happy and blazing like a radiant star in the summer sky instead of cold and power hungry and out for himself like he usually seemed to be made it easy for the raven to almost forget that the warm hands holding his wrists so gently belonged to a Titan. That the voice, again singing in that strange language, which was so melodic and sweet to his ears despite being fully capable of breaking glass and setting dogs barking for miles, issued from the mouth of a monster. 

Almost.

What he didn’t forget was why he was there. The role that he was playing. He didn’t forget even for a moment as the song ended and Eren looked down at him expectantly and he raised himself up to press his lips against the others. Instantly it were as if a fire ignited, his flesh feeling hot as his tongue darted across soft lips which parted immediately with a breathy sigh to allow him inside. Tongues pressed together, warm and slick, twining around each other and battling for dominance for a while before the brunet yielded making it more than clear that, in this of all regards, he was more than willing to allow the smaller male to control him. His taste was strong in his mouth, sharp and sweet and rich, burning in his throat like fine liquor and teeth clanked and fingers twined in soft chocolate locks and bodies pressed against each other for purchase as the other’s heady citrus scent overwhelmed him and they breathed each other’s air.

All of this in only a split second before Levi broke away again, struggling to remember who he was and what he was doing and suddenly feeling almost drunk as Eren, disheveled and breathless with wet lips kiss bruised, whistled through his teeth.

“Are all Humans this intoxicating, or is it just you?”

Intoxicating? Yes, that was definitely a good way to describe what had just happened and why he now felt slightly high. He’d been in relationships before. Had quick fucks before. Kissed at least 100 people over the course of his life before but had never once felt _this_. His first thought had been _it’s a Shifter thing_ as he was completely sure that Eren was the first person he’d ever locked lips with who could turn into a Titan at will, but considering that the brat had felt it as well it definitely couldn’t be that simple. His next thought was Chemistry on an insanely sexual level but he _really_ didn’t want to go there. 

One thing was for certain, if he was to continue with his current plan he’d have to be a bit more cautious.

“Funny, I was about to ask you the same thing brat.” Levi replied, wiping his lips. It was really getting dark by now, moths and other insects were flitting across the lights and hundreds of people crowded the streets, their voices deafening in volume. “Since you felt it to, I assume not.”      

“Well,” Eren said, straightening his shirt and then sliding his hands down the fabric as if trying to smooth out non-existent wrinkles. “Shall we find somewhere quiet? More…private?”

“I’m not up for another round so soon, you horny bastard.”

He smiled almost sheepishly. “To be honest with you, neither am I. But I would like to speak to you about the match tomorrow; I have a heads up that you’ll appreciate and something to give you which you might find useful. Not to mention that, with everything lit up, the site I’m thinking of has a _great_ view.”

Eren wanted him to win the Halgrind so that his own deviant little scheme revolving around him could go through, and though it was for his own gain Levi knew that he could trust the information that he was given by him. In a way, they were a fucked up sort of team. There was no harm in heading up to this spot with him; especially with his wound, he could use all the help that he could possibly get. “Alright brat, lead the way.” The brunet trotted off down a side street with the raven on his heels and the pair soon vanished into the night.


	10. Blessing

It didn’t take long for them to reach the spot Eren had planned to take him to; no more than 10 minutes at the most. It was a lookout point on the flat top of a small hill overlooking the entire city and standing a few meters shorter than the cliff on which the palace stood to the right of their position and the cliff on which the numerous Temples had been erected to their left. The days of midsummer in that country were hot but the nights were pleasantly cool, the velvet black sky above their heads cloudless and spinning with a countless number of stars, beautiful indeed, and now that they were no longer on the crowded streets the din of countless voices had been replaced by the distant humming of crickets and cicadas. 

            Levi eased himself down onto a rock the moment that they reached the top of the hill, by this point not caring that it was probably filthy and covered in mud as long as he took the stress off of his knees. Eren remained on his feet, walking over to stand dangerously close to the edge and spreading his arms to allow the wind to caress his body.

            “Sorry about all of that; me acting so crazy, I mean.” He said suddenly, turning to face him again with a small sad smile on his face. “But this is probably the last year I’ll be able to enjoy any of the festivities. Once I take the throne it’s unlikely I’ll even be able to attend.” A momentary pause before the younger of the two of them met the other’s blueish gaze. “I’m glad that you agreed to come with me tonight. I enjoyed myself, and I hope that you did too.”

            “I’m not big on crowds brat, but tonight wasn’t too bad.”

            “How does it compare to the festivals held behind your walls?” again with that seemingly unshakable curiosity. For a long time Levi didn’t answer, choosing to remain silent instead.

            “I wouldn’t know,” he finally admitted with a sigh. “I never went to any.”

            “Why not?”

            “You really want my story brat?” he snapped back, suddenly defensive. “I don’t see how it makes a damn bit of difference, to you or to anyone; the past is past.”

            “Of course it makes a difference to me; I want to know you. We’ll be married in a few years and I’d like to know at least a little of the man whose children I’ll bear.” Honest and with no hesitation, teal eyes bright with a want to learn. “I like to think that we could fall in love one day.”

            “Why should I fess up about my past when I don’t know jack shit about you?”

            “So it’s tit for tat then?” now his smile was amused. “My full name and title is Crown Prince Eren Jeager the First; I can trace my lineage back to one of the ancient founders of this empire. I am a member of the Acies Clan, a follower of Araon and a warrior prince. I was born on March 30th under the star Altairus and am 125 Human years of age; 15 in Titan years. Your turn.”

            He’d expected something outrageous like that, so it wasn’t all that surprising. Sighing in defeat, Levi shook his head. “It’s not a happy story, brat. I just want to make sure that you know that.”

            “They do say that tragedy is the highest art form. At least, according to Armin.”

            “I don’t know the exact day that I was born, I don’t remember my parents, I don’t know exactly how old I am but figure it’s somewhere around 35-so 4.2 in Titan years-hell, I don’t even know what my real name is! I lived on the streets, in the Underground, for a number of years before I was taken in-and when I say taken in I mean kidnapped off the streets-by a man named Kenny Ackerman; he was a member of the MP but, believe me, he was anything but a law abiding officer not that any of them are. This man was a certifiable sociopathic psychopath, not to mention a murderer!” The raven shook his head at the memory of rampant corruption. “He taught me how to fight, steal and kill; named me, called me his prodigy and insisted that I took his last name: Ackerman. After a while I got fed up with him and fled; I went back to the Underground and it wasn’t long before I fell in with two other street kids named Farlan Church and Isabelle Magnolia. We worked well together, and it wasn’t long before we became a scourge on the law which only became worse when ODM gear fell into our hands. The Military Police couldn’t deal with us any long, so they sent for the best of the best: The Scouting Legion.”

            “And they captured you?”

            Levi nodded. “The Commander, Erwin Smith, gave us a choice to join their ranks or be put away for a very long time. Like the low life scum we were, we chose to save ourselves.”

            “So you have friends back at the walls? Will they miss you?”

            “They’re dead, brat. They were killed by a Titan on our first expedition beyond the walls because I left them to fend for themselves to satisfy an empty vendetta.”

            “You blame yourself.” The kid was more perceptive that was good for him, though one would never guess it looking at him.

            “To say the least.”

            “Can I ask how you ended up here?” the tone of his voice was delicate now, the way he picked and chose his words making it clear that he was treading carefully to avoid any possibility of stepping on toes and rousing his agitation. “With how powerful you are, you would have had to have been distracted to be caught.”

            “Distracted?” he nodded. “That’s one word for it. I’m not a trusting person to begin with and I don’t give my heart easily. The man who I loved betrayed me, and where I’ve recovered from it and even forgiven him now at the time I felt as if my world had imploded.”

            “I do enjoy the chase; I’ll capture your heart eventually, given enough time, no matter how you try to play hard to get.” Eren grinned, reaching out to touch his face with one hand; his hand was warm and strong and, more out of reflex than anything, Levi found himself leaning into it. “Once you’re safely in my arms you’ll forget all about him, whoever he is, _and_ those stupid walls. It’s better here. You’ll see that.” He couldn’t stop himself from frowning at the loss of warmth when the brat withdrew his hand again, gaze falling to his injured leg. “Are you in any pain at all?”

            Looking down at it as well he stretched it carefully in front of him, feeling the rough fabric of the bandages tightly tied around his knee stretch as the wound gave a dull throb. “Not so much now that I’m off of it, and even then it’s not debilitating.” He concluded. “I can fight tomorrow; I’ve had worse. If the next battle is anything like those I’ve been through already-.”

            “It won’t be,” the brunet interrupted. “The Sylva’s gladiator fights in his Titan form.”

            _“What? You told me that was against the competition’s rules!_ ”

            “No, I told you most prefer to fight in their Human forms because of how confined the space inside of the Arena is.” Eren replied dryly. “I think you should come with me to Araon’s Temple tonight. Armin, the friend who I mentioned earlier, is a priest there and he can say a prayer over you; ask for the War God’s protection. You’re strong, but even so you’ll need help with this one. More help that I can give you.”

            “Fine, if it’ll put you at ease I’ll take the blessing. But don’t tell me you really believe a _prayer_ will do a damn thing to stop a Titan!”

            “Well, there’s something else I have for you which might help as well.” Walking over to a nearby bush he rummaged around for a while before pulling an object out and holding it up for his examination. A mass of metal and leather straps which was instantly recognizable.

            “Is that-?”

            “Your gear?” he nodded. “There’s not much juice left in it but you should still be alright for one use; make it count.”

            Taking the ODM harness from the other Levi almost smiled. “Now _this_ is much better protection. I’ll humor you, though, as a reward; let’s head to that Temple of yours.”

            The brunet led the way down a thin deer trail and then through numerous back streets on what he called a ‘short cut’ before heading up the same road he’d seen the Titans which had been carrying masonry stones go when he’d first been brought in on the merchant’s cart to bring them to the Temple. Up close the buildings were even more magnificent than from afar, each exquisitely carved from marble and granite and adorned with numerous turrets and arches to create astounding works of architecture seeming to defy gravity itself. The statues before them stood at 30 meters tall, shaped from solid bronze and so well detailed they appeared poised to get down off their pedestals and walk away at any moment. The statue in front of the Temple where they stopped was a man, tall and broad shouldered with horns arching from his head and an eagle-wings spread-perched on his raised arm. A sword hung sheathed at his side, his armor carefully crafted in the likeness of true life and cloak flowing to the ground like fabric blowing in the wind.

            Levi was so busy staring that he didn’t notice Eren had kept walking until he called out to him from the stairs before slipping through the doors; he followed after quickly.

            The interior of the building was just as magnificent, if not more so, as the exterior had been with the walls and floors plated in gold and a font of crystal clear water welling up in the center of the enormous room. On the wall facing to the East, over the doors through which they’d entered, was an enormous picture window carefully constructed of stained glass depicting the same figure from outside and his eagle battling an enormous black serpent or dragon.

            “That window depicts Araon’s victory over the Void Serpent Leamai; the dark God of the destruction worshiping Adherents.” Eren explained, following his gaze. “He is the God of War and of the Dawn and the Eagle is his sacred animal. He’s also my Clan’s patron and the Chief deity of our people’s pantheon. Of course, you’ll learn about all our Gods soon enough.” The pair continued down the aisle to the front of the Temple; here an altar stood and kneeling before it was a small young man with blonde hair wearing the robes of the priesthood. “Armin,” Eren called out, drawing the other boy’s attention.

            “My Prince!” The blonde-Armin-seemed surprised to see them both and scrambled to his feet. “I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you come in.” Blue eyes shifted appraisingly onto Levi. “So this is him? Araon’s chosen?”

            “I’m not religious, so all of this shitty ‘chosen’ nonsense is completely unnecessary.” But his comment either went unheard or was ignored.

            “Yes, this is him. The one who I spoke with you about some days ago in regards to Ascending; my parents will allow it only if he wins the Halgrind.”

            “But tomorrow is the last battle. He’ll be fighing-!”

            The Prince nodded. “I know. He’s strong, but he’s also injured and I want him to have every advantage possible. I’m sure that Araon’s eyes are already upon him, but all the same…could you ask his protection regardless?”

            Armin nodded.  “Of course.” Again directing his attention to Levi he said “could you kneel here, please?” Having already agreed to humor the brat the raven complied, taking up position kneeling where Armin had been when they’d entered moments earlier. The young priest retrieved some burning incense from a nearby censure which trailed a thin wisp of white smoke from its tip as it was carried along. “I’m going to give you a blessing bestowed to warriors fighting with odds heavily stacked against them; it will ask for his vigilance and protection, and the ability to call of the Rage if need be, but in return you’ll have to fight with honor. Try to hold still.”

            “I’m not going anywhere, coconut brat.” 

Eren snorted at the nickname but once again Armin didn’t comment, instead beginning to wave the incense around in a way clearly meant to mean something, and all too soon he was surrounded in a cloud of sweet smelling smoke which stung his eyes and made his throat burn; the blonde was saying something in a language which eluded him, the same language in which Eren had been singing as they’d danced at the festival still raging on below. It was over quickly and for that much he was grateful, not sure how much more of that awful smoke he could stand to breathe in.

            “Feel different?” Eren asked him curiously.

            “Yeah,” he admitted slowly. “I feel like there are eyes on my back; like someone is staring at me but I don’t know who or from what direction.” Half of him felt somewhat reassured, he supposed? Most of him just felt really creeped out.

            “You’ve his protection and your people’s gear but tomorrow’s match will still be incredibly trying. Even for you, it will be a struggle to survive.”

            “Believe me brat,” he told him, “I’m well aware.”

 

            The next morning everything seemed to pass by him in a rush. Hurry to make something quick to eat. Check and clean his wound and then change the bandage. Put on his armor. Make sure his swords were sharp. Slip into the gear and maneuver it around the thick plate he wore. Attempt to get the hang of moving his injured leg in his armor with as little pain as possible. Hurry out the door. Make it to his post on time. Face his opponent. Win. Continue with his charade; learn all he could and then somehow find a way to escape and make it back to the walls alive. Pressure. Doubt. One wrong move and it was all over; he could never allow himself to forget that. To get lax. To get soft. What if he wasn’t strong enough? Fast enough? Smart enough? All of it would end.

His head was pounding, thoughts buzzing like wasps without any sign of slowing down. And then the gate began to open before him once again, light streaming into the little holding cell from the arena-a forest this time-as the noise of the now familiar crowd washed over him like waves. And in that moment everything else melted away; the past meant nothing. What he would face in the future was unimportant. The question of the next move and then the move after that one blurred into the background as the reality set in that nothing else mattered but for one thing; winning. That he defeated his opponent and kept living. That was all that was important now, all that his mind should focus on. All that made a difference and all that concerned him.

As he stepped into the ring for the final time Levi knew that he would do whatever it took to survive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this is it. The final chapter of part one; we'll have to wait until the second installment to see how Levi's last battle turns out and, on top of that, learn a great deal more about the empire and general life as a Shifter. I hope that everyone enjoyed the story so far and i will do my best to begin uploading part two of the series, Empire's Twilight, as soon as possible so stay tuned.


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